Cabinet Office

Cabinet Office: Staff

Nick Fletcher: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many (a) part-time and (b) full-time paid positions the a:gender staff network has; and what the cost to the public purse is of that network.

John Glen: The costs (covering the period 2022-23) were £82,000. A decision has been made since then that no further funding will be provided. Some of the information requested is being withheld because disclosure of that information would contravene one of the data protection principles in Article 5(1) of the UK General Data Protection Regulation and section 34(1) of the Data Protection Act 2018. Specifically, we consider that disclosure of the information would contravene principle A under article 5(1)(a) of the UK General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) which requires that personal data should be processed lawfully, fairly, and transparently. We have found that on balance the legitimate interest and necessity in disclosure are overridden by the reasonable expectations of privacy of the individual[s] concerned.In this case, the numbers concerned are 5 individuals or fewer. We cannot provide details in such cases as the individuals concerned could be identifiable. This is standard statistical reporting.

Ministers: Defamation

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, on how many occasions Ministers have settled defamation or libel proceedings in their official capacity as a Minister of the Crown since 2001; and whether there has been a cost to the public purse of settlements in such cases.

Alex Burghart: I refer the Hon. Member to my answer on 12th March 2024 (UIN 17709).

Veterans: Employment Schemes

Steve McCabe: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 23 February 2024 to Question 13226 on Veterans: Employment Scheme, how many and what proportion of ethnic minority veterans have used the Career Development Fund in the last 12 months.

Johnny Mercer: Veterans’ employment is at an all-time high, with 89% of those leaving service finding employment within six months. This Government's £700,000 Veterans’ Career Development Fund aims to build on that, increasing the provision and enhancing access to qualifications, training and skills development for veterans and their families across the UK. The grant seeks to support veterans of all backgrounds, and encourages applications in particular from groups and organisations which seek to engage with and support minority groups and individuals within the overall veteran population, including those of ethnic minority backgrounds. The fund closed for applications from organisations in January this year, with successful applicants due to be notified later this month. Activity and delivery of the projects will then commence after that point

General Elections

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what recent discussions the Prime Minister has had with Cabinet colleagues on the potential operational readiness of the Government to hold a general election in May.

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what (a) process and (b) criteria the Prime Minister will use to determine the timing of a general election.

Alex Burghart: I refer the hon. Member to the answer of 26 February, Official Report, PQ 14293.

Department of Health and Social Care

Ophthalmic Services: Medical Treatments

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when does she expect the  photobiomodulation process for treatment of those with severe eye problems to be made available via the NHS.

Andrew Stephenson: Clinicians utilise the best available evidence, including guidance from The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), to determine appropriate treatments to be made available to patients via the National Health Service.The NICE runs an interventional procedures programme to assess the efficacy and safety of interventional procedures used for treatment or diagnosis, to determine whether they work well enough and are safe enough for use in the NHS. The programme can assess procedures that involve incision, puncture, and entry into a body cavity, or that use ionising, electromagnetic, or acoustic energy.The NICE’s interventional procedures programme is not currently looking at this procedure in relation to the treatment of eye problems, and there has been no notification to the NICE for consideration of photobiomodulation for treatment of those with severe eye problems.The Department is committed to partnering with industry, patients, and the wider health and social care system to ensure effective and innovative medical technologies that support the continued delivery of high-quality care and outstanding patient safety, are available to patients. Innovators can sign up to the NHS Innovation Service for guidance on the key steps to introduce their idea or product to the NHS.

Obesity: Children

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to help tackle obesity in primary school children.

Andrea Leadsom: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Preventive Medicine: Young People

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking to (a) identify young people most at risk of poor health in later life and (b) mitigate that risk.

Andrea Leadsom: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Abortion

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when she plans to publish the abortion rates data for (a) 2021/22 and (b) 2022/23.

Maria Caulfield: Abortion statistics for England and Wales for 2021, and from January to June for 2022, have been published on the GOV.UK website, and are available respectively at the following links:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/abortion-statistics-for-england-and-wales-2021/abortion-statistics-england-and-wales-2021https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/abortion-statistics-for-england-and-wales-january-to-june-2022/abortion-statistics-for-england-and-wales-january-to-june-2022Full 12-month abortion statistics for 2022 are provisionally scheduled to be published in May 2024. The date of the publication of abortion statistics for 2023 will be announced in due course.

Euthanasia

Danny Kruger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether she has made an assessment of the impact of legalising assisted suicide on palliative care.

Maria Caulfield: No assessment has been made of the impact of legalising assisted suicide on palliative care. The Government recognises that access to high-quality, personalised palliative and end of life care can make a significant difference to individuals and their families, at a sensitive time.While the National Health Service has always been required to commission appropriate palliative and end of life care services to meet the reasonable needs of their population, as part of the Health and Care Act 2022, palliative care services were added to the list of services an integrated care board must commission, promoting a more consistent national approach and supporting commissioners in prioritising palliative and end of life care.

Shingles: Vaccination

Taiwo Owatemi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, for what reason is the shingles vaccine not available to people between the ages of 66 to 69 on 1 September 2023; and whether she will make an assessment of the potential impact of not providing the vaccine on those people.

Maria Caulfield: The current policy offers the shingles vaccine shingrix to anyone who turned 65 or 70 years old on or after 1 September 2023, and to anyone aged 50 years old and over, who is at higher risk of serious complications as a result of having a severely weakened immune system. This approach has been used in the effective implementation of previous immunisation programmes. Whilst some individuals may have to wait until they are eligible, the population benefit of adopting this approach is greater, and means that many individuals will receive the vaccine sooner and will benefit for longer.The approach is modelled on the first shingles programme, optimising achievements within the resources and capacity of the National Health Service, while being delivered alongside other important healthcare priorities, and avoiding undue additional pressure on NHS delivery services. An assessment of the potential impact of not providing the vaccine to people aged 66 to 69 years old is not required, as they remain eligible to receive a shingles vaccination when they turn 70 years old, as they would have done prior to 1 September 2023.

Integrated Care Boards

Wes Streeting: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many Integrated Care Boards delivered value-based activity of at least 104% of the 2019/20 baseline in 2022/23; and which Integrated Care Boards did not.

Helen Whately: Nine integrated care boards (ICBs) delivered value-weighted activity (VWA) of at least 104% of the 2019/20 baseline in 2022/23, they are:- NHS Cambridgeshire and Peterborough ICB;- NHS South East London ICB;- NHS North East London ICB;- NHS North Central London ICB;- NHS North West London ICB;- NHS Coventry and Warwickshire ICB;- NHS North East and North Cumbria ICB;- NHS Humber and North Yorkshire ICB; and- NHS Kent and Medway ICB. The following 10 ICBs delivered VWA of at least 100% of the 2019/20 baseline in 2022/23:- NHS Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes ICB;- NHS South West London ICB;- NHS Lincolnshire ICB;- NHS Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland ICB;- NHS Northamptonshire ICB;- NHS Nottingham and Nottinghamshire ICB;- NHS West Yorkshire ICB;- NHS Lancashire and South Cumbria ICB;- NHS Devon ICB; and- NHS Somerset ICB. The remaining 23 ICBs did not deliver a VWA over 100% of the 2019/20 baseline in 2022/23.Lower levels of elective activity were due to ongoing COVID-19 pressures and longer lengths of stay, as well as extended industrial action which started in December 2022. Providers were therefore allowed to retain elective funding to cover these costs. The department has put in place additional measures to monitor Elective Recovery Funding and related spending.

Mental Capacity

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what her planned timetable is for the introduction of Liberty Protection Safeguards.

Helen Whately: The situation remains as set out in April 2023. The implementation of the Liberty Protection Safeguards (LPS) has been delayed beyond the life of this Parliament. We will therefore not be publishing a timetable for the introduction of the LPS at this time.

Health: Screening

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking to educate young people about the importance of health screening programmes in later life.

Andrew Stephenson: Health education is mandated from key stages one to four. One of its overarching objectives is teaching pupils about physical health and mental wellbeing, to give them the information that they need to make good decisions about their own health and wellbeing. This should enable them to recognise what is normal and what is an issue in themselves, and when issues arise, how to seek support as early as possible from appropriate sources.

Aortic Aneurysm: Screening

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what data her Department collects on the uptake of abdominal aortic aneurysm screening; and what steps she is taking to target this programme at people at greater risk.

Andrew Stephenson: NHS England commissions screening programmes, including for Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm (AAA). NHS England collects uptake data for the AAA screening programme, for coverage of the initial scan, coverage of the quarterly surveillance scan, for men with a medium aneurysm, and coverage of the annual surveillance scan, for men with a small aneurysm. NHS England publishes quarterly Key Performance Indicator reports, and an Annual Standards Report, both of which are available at the respective links below: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/nhs-population-screening-programmes-kpi-reports https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/abdominal-aortic-aneurysm-screening-standards-report-2022-to-2023/aaa-standards-report-2022-to-2023 NHS England is working to improve uptake, including for men at greatest risk, as data shows that men living in more deprived areas are at greater risk from having an AAA. In addition, the Department has published guidance on reducing inequalities in the AAA programme, which is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/abdominal-aortic-aneurysm-screening-reducing-inequalities/reducing-inequalities

Alcoholism and Drugs: Veterans

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 21 February 2024 to Question 12906 on Alcoholism and Drugs: Veterans, whether her Department has made an assessment of the adequacy of rehabilitative care for injured veterans.

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of using AI to improve the (a) quantity and (b) quality of data on veterans with mental health conditions.

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a health card for veterans.

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will take steps to help increase collaboration between (a) GP surgeries and (b) Integrated Care Boards when treating veterans with physical and mental conditions.

Maria Caulfield: The Government has not made any assessment of the adequacy of existing rehabilitative care for injured veterans. The National Rehabilitation Centre is part of the Government’s New Hospital Programme, and construction started in 2023. This new 70-bed facility will benefit all patients, including veterans, by bringing together patient care, research, innovation, and training and education under one roof.In addition, Op RESTORE is a bespoke physical health and wellbeing service, commissioned by NHS England, which supports individuals who have served in, or are leaving, the British Armed Forces, and have physical health injuries and related medical problems attributed to their time in the Armed Forces.NHS England continually works with its commissioned providers to improve the quality of data relating to the veterans that are being cared for by those services. No assessment has been made on the potential merits of the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to improve the quantity and quality of data on veterans with mental health conditions, but we remain open to using AI to improve the quality of data where it is appropriate to do so.Veterans are able to access all National Health Service mainstream health services, in addition to the bespoke NHS commissioned services. Access to mainstream health services is based on clinical need. The Veterans’ ID Card can assist where access to NHS services requires confirmation of military service, for example Op COURAGE and Op RESTORE.The Armed Forces Act 2021 introduced a legal requirement for integrated care boards to give due regard to the Armed Forces Community when commissioning healthcare services. The 2024/25 general practice (GP) contract will introduce a requirement that GPs must have due regard for the requirements, needs, and circumstances of Armed Forces Veterans when offering services and making onward referrals. Integrated care boards are encouraged to work with health providers in their area, including GP surgeries, to ensure patient needs are met.

Ministry of Justice

Rape: Criminal Proceedings

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will take steps to provide additional funding to help facilitate the hearing of the longest-delayed rape cases; and what steps he is taking to help reduce waiting times for criminal trials.

Laura Farris: We remain committed to addressing the outstanding caseload at the Crown Court and have introduced a raft of measures to speed up justice for victims, such as recruiting up to 1,000 Crown Court judges and tribunal members this financial year, continuing the use of 20 Nightingale courtrooms to increase the capacity of our courts system, and increasing the fees paid to defence and prosecution lawyers by 15% in recognition of the essential work they do in facilitating the administration of justice.As a result of the growth in the outstanding caseload during Covid and the subsequent Criminal Bar Association action, we recognise that there are some cases in the outstanding caseload which are taking longer to progress through the system. While the judiciary already look to prioritise cases involving vulnerable victims and witnesses, the Senior Presiding Judge for England and Wales announced on 6 March 2024 that around 181 rape cases which have been outstanding for more than two years will be listed by the end of July 2024, demonstrating a renewed commitment to tackling the toughest cases still awaiting trial.Alongside this, we are doing more than ever to support victims throughout their criminal justice journey, introducing our 24/7 Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Line, quadrupling victim support funding by 2024/25 compared to 2010, and increasing the number of Independent Sexual and Domestic Violence Advisors (ISVAs and IDVAs) to around 1,000 by 2024/25.

Barristers: Pay and Stress

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will take steps to help tackle (a) poor pay and (b) high stress among barristers working on sexual violence cases; and what other steps he is taking to help increase the retention of such barristers.

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to help increase the retention of specialist counsel for cases involving rape and serious sexual offences.

Mike Freer: In September 2022, following the conclusion of the Criminal Legal Aid Independent Review, we uplifted fees for all defence advocates by 15%, which we expect will see a typical criminal barrister earn nearly £7,000 more a year. Fees for prosecution advocates were subject to 15% increase by the CPS in May 2023. We also increased the fee for advocates who undertake s.28 cases (which provides for a special measure enabling certain vulnerable victims and witnesses to have their cross-examination and re-examination pre-recorded and played at trial) from £670 (exc. VAT) to £1,000 (exc. VAT). The s.28 fees and special and wasted preparation fees brought the overall increase for barrister fees from 15% to 17%. The CPS recognise that barristers’ wellbeing should be supported and therefore have provided CPS Advocate Panel members dealing with potentially distressing casework access to their Employee Assistance Programme since September 2023. I am hopeful that our latest funding increase for s.28 cases will help to retain Rape and Serious Sexual Offences barristers and ensure these cases continue to be prioritised. The Lord Chancellor is holding a roundtable on Wednesday 13 March to discuss this issue further.

Prisons and Young Offender Institutions: Pepper Spray

Dame Siobhain McDonagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many times was PAVA spray deployed in (a) Youth Offender Institutes and (b) prisons in each year since 2019.

Edward Argar: PAVA is intended to protect staff and prisoners in very serious assaults. Safe implementation of PAVA use is accompanied by clear and explicit guidance ensuring staff are confident as to when PAVA spray should be used. Staff can use the PAVA spray where there is serious violence or an imminent or perceived risk of it, and there is an immediate need to create a safe and protective environment. It has been rollout out to prison officers in the adult estate only.PAVA may be deployed by specialist staff, on the authority of the Gold commander, in Young Offender Institutes that hold those under 18 years of age as a tactical option to resolve an incident for the safety of young people and staff.PAVA has been deployed once in 2019 at Feltham (A). There have been no other uses the under-18 YOI estate.There has been an increase in PAVA use as HMPPS have rolled out to all adult male prisons and therefore it is available to more staff to respond to violent incidents where appropriate.The information requested is in the attached tables for adult YOIs and prisons.Table_PQ17267 (xlsx, 22.5KB)

Reoffenders: Suspended Sentences

Dame Siobhain McDonagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and which offences were committed by people on a suspended sentence order in each of the last three years.

Gareth Bacon: The information requested could only be obtained at disproportionate cost. The below detail is provided as background information.A 2019 Ministry of Justice analysis of a matched cohort of over 30,000 offenders shows that those who serve sentences of immediate custody of less than 12 months reoffend at a rate higher than similar offenders given community orders and suspended sentence orders by the courts.Our latest quarterly statistics, January – March 2022, suggest that 55.5% of people given a custodial sentence of less than 12 months reoffend within one year. For offenders punished with suspended sentence orders with requirements that are served in the community, the reoffending rate is significantly lower at 24.2%.Based on this evidence, the Government introduced the presumption to suspend short sentences as part of the Sentencing Bill, currently before Parliament. The courts will retain a wide discretion to impose immediate custody in many circumstances.Offenders will then serve their sentence in the community. When the court imposes a suspended sentence, they can impose requirements on the offender and the sentencing framework provides a flexible range of requirements, such as unpaid work, drug and alcohol treatment, curfew, and electronic monitoring, with the intention of punishing the offender, providing reparation to the community, and addressing any criminogenic or rehabilitative needs of the offender which may otherwise increase the likelihood of their reoffending.

Suspended Sentences

Dame Siobhain McDonagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and what proportion of offenders sentenced to a suspended sentence order were subsequently sent to immediate custody for (a) breaching the conditions of the order and (b) reoffending in each year since 2017.

Gareth Bacon: The information requested could only be obtained at a disproportionate cost. The below detail is provided as background information.A 2019 Ministry of Justice analysis of a matched cohort of over 30,000 offenders shows that those who serve sentences of immediate custody of less than 12 months reoffend at a rate higher than similar offenders given community orders and suspended sentence orders by the courts.Our latest quarterly statistics, January – March 2022, suggest that 55.5% of people given a custodial sentence of less than 12 months reoffend within one year. For offenders punished with suspended sentence orders with requirements that are served in the community, the reoffending rate is significantly lower at 24.2%.Based on this evidence, the Government introduced the presumption to suspend short sentences as part of the Sentencing Bill, currently before Parliament. The courts will retain a wide discretion to impose immediate custody in many circumstances.Offenders will then serve their sentence in the community. When the court imposes a suspended sentence, they can impose requirements on the offender and the sentencing framework provides a flexible range of requirements, such as unpaid work, drug and alcohol treatment, curfew, and electronic monitoring, with the intention of punishing the offender, providing reparation to the community, and addressing any criminogenic or rehabilitative needs of the offender which may otherwise increase the likelihood of their reoffending.

Prisoners: Distance Learning

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of including distance learning undertaken by prisoners as purposeful activity.

Edward Argar: All prisons have systems in place for the day-to-day management of regime delivery. Each prison has a regime management plan that clearly sets out the full range of prisoner activities and services delivered within the prison, morning and afternoon, from Monday to Friday.All types of education, including distance learning, are factored into a prison’s regime management plan as part of the purposeful activity that prisoners undertake.

Prisons: Restraint Equipment

Dame Siobhain McDonagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many Nico 9 stun grenades were used in prisons in each year since 2015, broken down by institution.

Edward Argar: The information requested could only be obtained at a disproportionate cost.

Prisons: Dogs

Dame Siobhain McDonagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many times (a) the National Dog and Technical Support Group was deployed in prisons and (b) dogs were used in those deployments in each year since 2015, broken down by institution.

Edward Argar: The information requested could only be obtained at a disproportionate cost.

Reoffenders: Life Imprisonment

Dame Siobhain McDonagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prisoners serving (a) one life sentence, (b) two life sentences and (c) more than two life sentences were released from prison into the community in each year since 2015.

Edward Argar: To determine the number of active life sentences at the point when an offender is released would require manually reading the record files of offenders with multiple life sentences and then linking these together from the different data systems which would incur disproportionate costs.

National Tactical Response Group: Youth Custody

Dame Siobhain McDonagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, on how many occasions the National Tactical Response Group was deployed in the youth estate in each year since 2015, broken down by institution type.

Edward Argar: The information requested could only be obtained at a disproportionate cost.

Reoffenders: Life Imprisonment

Dame Siobhain McDonagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people received a second life sentence after being released from prison in each year since 2010; and if he will list the offences which resulted in the (a) first and (b) second life sentence for each person.

Edward Argar: The answer to this question could only be provided at a disproportionate cost, as it involves linking prison data with the Ministry of Justice extract of the police national computer.

Department for Energy Security and Net Zero

UK Emissions Trading Scheme

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, pursuant to the Answer of 20 December 2023 to Question 6782 on Maritime and Coastguard Agency: EU Emissions Trading Scheme, what her Department's timetable is for publishing the next consultation on the expansion of the UK Emissions Trading Scheme.

Amanda Solloway: In July 2023, the UK ETS Authority published its response to the 2022 Developing the UK ETS Consultation. In this, the Authority committed to expanding the UK ETS to cover emissions from domestic maritime from 2026, as well as energy from waste and waste incineration from 2028 preceded by a 2-year MRV only period. The Authority committed to consulting further on technical details of implementation of the UK ETS, and this will be published in due course.

Hydrogen

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what estimate she has made of the volume of green hydrogen that will be produced in the UK over the next ten years, by (a) nation and (b) region.

Andrew Bowie: As set out in December 2023’s Hydrogen Production Delivery Roadmap, the Government’s ambition for up to 10GW of low carbon hydrogen production by 2030 includes up to 6GW of electrolytic ‘green’ production capacity. The UK electrolytic hydrogen production pipeline has a variety of projects located all over the UK. The expected volume and supply of hydrogen (in Terra Watt hours) over the next ten years will depend on factors including future hydrogen demand, operating patterns of electrolytic hydrogen producers, and the specific projects that are successful in securing Government support for production under the Hydrogen Allocation Round process.

Hydrogen: Scotland

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what revenue will be available to (a) the Scottish Government and (b) Scottish local authorities from the production of green hydrogen.

Andrew Bowie: The Government has a UK-wide mechanism for allocating revenue support to new low carbon hydrogen projects, including for electrolytic ‘green’ hydrogen projects. The first Hydrogen Allocation Round (HAR) for the Hydrogen Production Business Model resulted in 125MW of production capacity across 11 projects in England, Scotland and Wales, including two in Scotland. HAR 2 is now open to applications, through which Government hopes to provide support for up to 875MW of low carbon hydrogen production. This round closes on 19 April 2024. Government has set out the process for future allocation rounds through its Hydrogen Production Delivery Roadmap.

District Heating

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if she will make an assessment of the number of individual houses that could be connected to heat networks.

Amanda Solloway: The Government’s analysis shows that heat networks could provide about 20% of total heat by 2050 up from the 3% currently. They will provide a greater proportion in the urban areas that will be covered by the heat network zoning legislation in England which will designate areas where heat networks are expected to provide the lowest cost, low carbon heating. As part of Heat Network Zoning the Government will provide local communities with the tools to accelerate the development of heat networks and ensure that more homes and businesses can have access to greener, cheaper heat. This will include tools that will enable them to identify the number of buildings that are likely to be connected to district heating in these zones.

District Heating: Finance

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to the National Infrastructure Commission's report entitled The Second National Infrastructure Assessment, published on 1 October 2023, if she will make an assessment of the potential implications for her policies of the recommendation to provide subsidies to help property owners connect to a heat network.

Amanda Solloway: The UK Government is investing over half a billion pounds in funds and programmes to develop new heat networks and improve existing ones. The Green Heat Network Fund is the primary funding mechanism to develop new and existing low carbon heat networks across England. The Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme can also fund connections to heat networks. With the introduction of heat network zoning, we will assess how the Green Heat Network Fund should evolve in the future. The recommendations of the National Infrastructure Commission will be taken into account in this exercise.

Carbon Capture and Storage: Finance

Neale Hanvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how much her Department has spent on developing (a) HyNet North West, (b) East Coast Cluster, (c) Acorn and (d) Viking CCS.

Andrew Bowie: £210 million (matched by £261 million from industry) has been allocated through the UKRI Industrial Decarbonisation Challenge (IDC) since 2019 to drive the decarbonisation of the UK’s six major industrial clusters, of which £150 million has been allocated to projects within HyNet, East Coast Cluster, Acorn and Viking CCS clusters. The breakdown of funding allocated (all funding will be allocated by the end of March 2024) and funding provided to date through the IDC to projects within the clusters mentioned are as follows: HyNet North WestTotal Allocated – £32,850,730Funding Provided to Date - £29,732,965East Coast ClusterTotal Allocated – £73,726,209Funding Provided to Date - £63,317,114AcornTotal Allocated – £31,376,167Funding Provided to Date - £26,451,986Viking CCSTotal Allocated – £12,692,911Funding Provided to Date - £10,992,417 The clusters have also received funding through other sources other than the IDC. Since 2019, a) the HyNet cluster was awarded £8.5m, b) East Coast Cluster was awarded £1.3m c) the Scottish cluster was awarded £9.3m and d) the Viking CCS was awarded £7.9m of innovation funding under the BEIS CCUS Innovation, Advancing CCS Technologies (ACT) and Hydrogen Supply programmes.

Hydrogen: Heating

Peter Grant: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what recent progress her Department has made on the roll out of the Hydrogen Heating Town pilot.

Peter Grant: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, when she plans to make an announcement on the funding applications from the four Gas Distribution Networks for the Hydrogen Heating Town pilot.

Andrew Bowie: The Government received applications from each of the four Gas Distribution Networks for funding to develop outline plans for how a roll out of hydrogen heating might start in each of their network areas, starting with a potential hydrogen town The Government decided in December 2023 not to proceed with a hydrogen village trial in Redcar as the main source of hydrogen would not be available. The Government is assessing the implications of that decision for our policy on planning for a hydrogen town pilot and will provide an update on this work in due course.

Heat Pumps: Housing

Wera Hobhouse: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what estimate she has made of the number of heat pumps the Clean Heat Market Mechanism will deliver as part of the target to install 600,000 heat pumps in private domiciles by 2028.

Amanda Solloway: In the response to the Clean Heat Market Mechanism consultation published in November 2023, the Government estimated that the scheme targets would amount to around 60,000 installations in 24/25 and around 90,000 in 2025/26. The Government said targets for 2026/27, and further future years, would be set at least six months in advance of the start of the year in question.

Department for Energy Security and Net Zero: Directors

Sarah Owen: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how much was paid to the non-executive directors of her Department between 7 February 2023 and 7 February 2024.

Graham Stuart: Payments to Non-Executive Directors will be disclosed as part of the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero’s Annual Report and Accounts.

Renewable Energy: Seas and Oceans

Dave Doogan: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if she will instruct Ofgem to update the (a) Holistic Network Design and (b) Centralised Strategic Network Plan to ensure a greater proportion of future electricity transmission infrastructure is built offshore.

Graham Stuart: The Electricity System Operator (ESO) is responsible for assessing and recommending transmission reinforcement options. Its Holistic Network Design recommendations give equal consideration to impacts on communities, cost to consumers, environmental impacts, and deliverability. The ESO has assessed a wide range of options for each network need identified in order to minimise impacts against the four criteria. This includes assessing both on and offshore options. Where an offshore route performs best, the ESO recommends this. The ESO will publish the transitional Centralised Strategic Network Plan on March 19th, which will include details of its recommended design options.

Renewable Energy: Community Development

Stuart C McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to the oral contribution of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State of 5 September 2023, Official Report, column 281, what progress her Department has made on publishing a consultation on barriers to developing community energy projects.

Graham Stuart: The Government has been codesigning the consultation with the community energy sector via the Community Energy Contact Group (CECG). The Government intends to publish the consultation as soon as possible.

Energy: Coventry

Colleen Fletcher: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what recent assessment she has made on the impact of rising energy prices on the number of households in (a) Coventry North East constituency and (b) Coventry; and what steps her Department is taking to reduce fuel poverty levels in those areas.

Amanda Solloway: Energy prices have fallen significantly since the winter of 2022-23. The Quarter 2 2024 price cap of £1,690 has fallen by nearly 60% since the Quarter 1 2023 price cap peak. Despite this fall in prices, we have been supporting millions of vulnerable and low income households through the £900 cost-of-living payments, alongside established financial support including the £150 Warm Home Discount. There are also multiple targeted energy efficiency schemes in place delivering measures to low income and fuel poor households. We are currently reviewing the 2021 fuel poverty strategy for England ‘Sustainable Warmth’. Sub-regional fuel poverty estimates for 2022 will be published on 25th April 2024.

Sellafield: Security

Dame Siobhain McDonagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how many breaches of (a) physical and (b) cyber security there were at Sellafield in each year since 2015.

Andrew Bowie: I will write to the hon. Member on this matter, and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Warm Home Discount Scheme: Scotland

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how many Warm Home Discounts have been provided in Scotland in each year since 1 January 2022.

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how many Warm Home Discounts were provided in each region in each year since 2022.

Amanda Solloway: The number of households receiving Warm Home Discounts (WHD) for each devolved administration and regions of England from 2022 to 2023 can be found in Table 2 of the Warm Home Discount data tables (https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/warm-home-discount-statistics-2022-to-2023 ). Figures for Scotland only cover households receiving WHD through Core Group. These figures therefore only cover part of the WHD scheme in Scotland. Ofgem will publish figures for the Broader Group in due course.

Department for Transport

Roads: Safety

Helen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will take steps to ensure safety improvements are prioritised during decision making about road investments.

Guy Opperman: The Government is investing £24 billion on the Strategic Road Network during the second Road Investment Strategy (RIS2 - 2020-2025) to fund the operation, maintenance, renewal and enhancement of the network. Safety is a key consideration National Highways takes into account across all its activity and much of this investment aims to improve safety across the network for all road users. A specific Safety and Congestion Fund is in place as part of National Highways’ Designated Funds programme, this delivers safety improvements on specific high-risk roads, accident-cluster locations and potential suicide-cluster areas. National Highways also has a Key Performance Indicator for RIS2 with a target of reducing those killed or seriously injured on the Strategic Road Network by 50% compared to the 2005-2009 baseline average. The Department for Transport and the Office of Rail and Road, in its capacity of Highways Monitor, hold National Highways to account for delivery against this performance indicator and work collectively to ensure appropriate action plans are in place to maximise safety on the network. Improving road safety is one of six key objectives in developing the third Road Investment Strategy (RIS3). The level of ambition within the Performance Specification and focus of the Investment Plan are the key levers through which this objective will be supported.

A483: Shropshire

Helen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to improve safety on the A483 in Shropshire.

Guy Opperman: As referenced in PMQs on October 25 2023, National Highways is conducting extensive study work to understand how the safety performance of the A483 in Shropshire can be improved through a detailed route optimisation study. These proposals will be considered alongside other potential small-scale future targeted safety enhancements to the route as part of RIS3 (2025-2030). At this stage, a more substantive upgrade of the A483 between Pant and Llanymynech remains in the RIS Pipeline of schemes being considered for possible delivery beyond 2030.

Shipping: Pay

Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to prepare for the enforcement of the Seafarers Wages Act 2023.

Guy Opperman: The Seafarers’ Wages Act 2023 received Royal Assent in March 2023. There are offences under the Act for operators providing a false and misleading declaration, operating a service inconsistently with a declaration, harbour authorities not complying with their duties under the Act, and for harbour authorities and operators who do not provide information when requested under the Act. The Maritime and Coastguard Agency will be responsible for enforcement of these offences and has powers of inspection under the Act to allow them to investigate.

P&O Ferries: Crew

Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an estimate of the number of seafarers employed on P&O Ferries’ vessels working from UK ports.

Guy Opperman: The Department for Transport published estimates of the number of seafarers in the UK shipping industry online, at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/seafarers-in-the-uk-shipping-industry-2023.One of the sources for this report is a seafarer employment survey run by the UK Chamber of Shipping of their membership, which P&O Ferries are part of. Due to commercial sensitivity, we cannot provide specific company breakdowns from this data. We are also unable to estimate the number of seafarers employed on P&O Ferries’ working from UK ports.

Seafarers' Charter

Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many shipping companies have signed the Seafarers Charter.

Guy Opperman: The Seafarers’ Charter was introduced to improve working conditions for seafarers aboard ferries operating internationally from UK ports. Four major international ferry operators have signed up to working towards the requirements of the Seafarers’ Charter: Brittany Ferries, Condor Ferries, DFDS and Stena Line.

Nissan: Electric Vehicles

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has had discussions with Nissan following its decision to withdraw app support for older Nissan Leaf and e-NV200 vehicles.

Anthony Browne: DfT Ministers regularly discuss a range of issues with automotive manufacturers, including Nissan. However, the Government is not able to comment on individual business matters.

Offshore Industry: Helicopters

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many Sikorsky-92 model helicopters have been licensed to operate in the UK offshore energy sector in each year since 2013.

Anthony Browne: As of 1 March 2024, there are 26 Sikorsky-92 aircraft licensed to operate in the UK oil and gas offshore sector, with their status being either ‘in service’ or ‘in storage’. Data for previous years has been taken as a snapshot as at 1 March for consistency: 29 (2023), 32 (2022), 29 (2021), 37 (2020), 36 (2019), 38 (2018), 43 (2017), 35 (2016), 32 (2015), 22 (2014) and 17 (2013).

Pedicabs: Licensing

Sir Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the oral contribution of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport during the Second Reading of the Pedicabs (London) Bill [Lords] of 28 February 2024, Official Report, column 398, if he will publish the outline of a potential licencing framework for pedicabs provided by Transport for London in January 2022.

Guy Opperman: Subject to its parliamentary passage, the Pedicabs (London) Bill will confer powers onto Transport for London (TfL) to regulate London’s pedicab industry.It will be the responsibility of TfL to design and implement a regulatory regime. However, TfL will be required to conduct a consultation prior to bringing regulations forward, and Government expects this consultation would include details of the proposed licensing framework.

Railways: Nottingham

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the bi-mode trains on air quality in (a) Nottingham Railway station and (b) the surrounding area.

Huw Merriman: East Midlands Railway is replacing its diesel-only Class 222 trains with bi-mode Class 810s as part of the East Midlands franchise award. These new bi-mode trains will gradually be introduced into service starting in early 2025 and are anticipated to significantly reduce air pollution emissions at Nottingham station and in the surrounding areas. The impact of these changes will be monitored by the Department for Transport's £4.5 million Air Quality Monitoring Network, which measures air pollution at selected stations across Great Britain, including Nottingham Station.

Roads: Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole

Mr Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much reallocated HS2 funding has been given to Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council for road resurfacing.

Guy Opperman: Over the period 2023/24 to 2033/34 Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council will receive at least £18.9 million of reallocated HS2 funding for highways maintenance, including road resurfacing. As I’ve previously set out, Network North will see every penny of the £19.8 billion committed to the Northern leg of HS2 reinvested in the North. Every penny of the £9.6 billion committed to the Midlands leg will be reinvested in the Midlands. The £6.5 billion saved through our rescoped approach at Euston will be spread across every other region in the country – and it is from this pot that this funding comes.In line with the published allocations, the Department for Transport has paid £604,000 of this to Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council this financial year; the Council will receive the same amount in 2024/25. Future allocations are a matter for the next Spending Review. This information, as with all highway maintenance funding allocations, is published on GOV.UK.

P&O Ferries: Agency Workers

Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of the conditions of employment for agency crew working on P&O Ferries’ international fleet from UK ports.

Guy Opperman: We expect all operators to, at a minimum, comply with the relevant international standards for seafarer working conditions, and we inspect compliance with these during periodic vessel inspections. We continue to work internationally to improve working conditions for seafarers.

Ferries: Crew

Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to his Department's press release entitled Extra protections for seafarers as government introduces new maritime laws, published on 30 March 2022, what recent assessment he has made of the impact of those new laws on the crewing model operated in the short sea ferry sector by (a) P&O Ferries and (b) other operators.

Guy Opperman: The Seafarers’ Wages Act 2023 received Royal Assent in March 2023. The Act makes access to UK ports for services calling at a UK port at least 120 times a year conditional on payment of the equivalent of the UK National Minimum Wage.

Speed Limits: Safety

Helen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many projects that reduce speed limits on parts of the Strategic Road Network have been granted funding as part of the Road Investment Strategy 2.

Guy Opperman: The Department does not hold this information in the format requested.

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities

High Rise Flats: Insulation

Stella Creasy: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, when his Department expects remediation work to have begun on buildings over 11m with ACM cladding where the developer or builder has accepted liability and accordingly no application was made to the BSF; and if he will take steps to enforce this deadline.

Lee Rowley: We expect developers that signed the developer remediation contract with Government to meet their obligation to remediate the buildings for which they are responsible as quickly as reasonably practicable.The length of time it may reasonably take to remediate a building will vary depending on factors such as the scale of works required, cooperation of third parties in finalising a works contract, and risk-based prioritisation by the developer of the buildings which the developer is responsible for remediating.Developers are obliged to send regular progress reports to the department. The latest progress report is available on gov.uk and the next report will be published this month. The department monitors progress closely. Any developer that fails to comply with its obligations will face consequence.

Life Sciences: Canary Wharf

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to paragraph 5.59, page 74 of the Spring Budget 2024, what his Department's (a) selection criteria and (b) rationale were for identifying Canary Wharf as the recipient hub of investment over other life sciences hubs.

Jacob Young: As the Government’s housing and regeneration agency, Homes England is tasked with accelerating house building and regeneration in all areas of the country. The brownfield regeneration scheme being supported at Canary Wharf includes over 500 homes in an area of high demand, responding to significant local need.The Home Building Fund – Infrastructure Loans (HBF-IL) programme which supports this scheme provides infrastructure loans for mixed-use developments throughout England. Details of selection criteria can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/home-building-fund-infrastructure-loans.

Planning Permission: Reform

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, pursuant to the Answer of 11 March 2024 to Question 16911 on Planning Permission: Reform, with reference to the revisions made to the National Planning Policy Framework on 19 December 2023, for what reason the words as a minimum were omitted from paragraph 35(a).

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, pursuant to the Answer of 11 March 2024 to Question 16908 on Green Belt: Planning Permission and with reference to the revisions made to the National Planning Policy Framework on 19 December 2023 and the Written Ministerial Statement of 19 December 2023 on The Next Stage in Our Long Term Plan for Housing Update, HCWS161, if he will publish specific guidance clarifying whether local authorities being located wholly within the green belt can represent an exceptional circumstance to justify an alternative approach to using the standard method calculation when assessing housing need for the purposes of making a local plan.

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, pursuant to the Answer of 11 March 2024 to Question 16912 on Planning Permission: Reform and with reference to the consultation entitled Levelling-up and Regeneration Bill: reforms to national planning policy, published on 22 December 2022, and paragraph 35(a) of the National Planning Policy Framework, published in December 2023, if he will publish the justification for omitting from that paragraph the words ‘so far as possible, taking into account the policies of’ in that Framework.

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, pursuant to the Answer of 11 March 2024 to Question 16913 on Planning Permission: Reform and with reference to the consultation entitled Levelling-up and Regeneration Bill: reforms to national planning policy, published on 22 December 2022, and paragraph 35(a) of the National Planning Policy Framework, published in December 2023, if he will publish the justification for retaining 'and is informed by agreements with other authorities, so that unmet need from neighbouring areas is accommodated where it is practical to do so and is consistent with achieving sustainable development' in that Framework.

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, pursuant to the Answer of 11 March 2024 to Question 16914 on Green Belt: Planning Permission and with reference to the consultation entitled Levelling-up and Regeneration Bill: reforms to national planning policy, published on 22 December 2022, and paragraph 35(a) of the National Planning Policy Framework, published in December 2023, if he will publish the justification for not incorporating the words 'Green Belt boundaries are not required to be reviewed and altered if this would be the only means of meeting the objectively assessed need for housing over the plan period' in that Framework.

Lee Rowley: I refer the Hon Member to the answer I gave to Question UIN 16908 on 11 March 2024.

Domestic Visits: Tamworth

Sarah Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, pursuant to the Answer of 5 February 2024 to Question 11923 on Levelling Up Fund: Tamworth Borough Council, if any officials from his Department were involved in the drafting of the press release relating to this visit entitled Levelling Up Minister visits Tamworth to mark High Street development progress with Eddie Hughes MP.

Jacob Young: I refer the Hon Member to the answer I gave to Question UIN 16976 on 7 March 2024.I wish to be clear with the Hon Member once more. My visit to Tamworth was a political visit. It was arranged through political channels.I notified the Hon Member ahead of visiting her constituency as per parliamentary protocols.Furthermore, she should note that the cost of answering a written ministerial question has previously been estimated to be in region of £150. I have so far answered multiple questions on this subject.To put it in perspective, the train ticket I purchased to visit Tamworth (at no cost to the taxpayer) cost £5.60.If the honourable lady would like to meet me to discuss any of these matters further, at a far cheaper cost to the taxpayer, I am happy to facilitate such a meeting.But I would prefer to discuss how this Government can level up all parts of this great country, including of course Tamworth.

General Elections

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities,  what steps he is taking to ensure the preparedness of the electoral registration services for a potential general election in May.

Simon Hoare: I refer the Hon Member to the answer given to Question UIN 14293 on 26 February 2024.

Northern Ireland Office

Sean Brown

Colum Eastwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, if he will call a public inquiry into the murder of Sean Brown in 1997.

Chris Heaton-Harris: The Northern Ireland Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Care Homes: Republic of Ireland

Karin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, whether he has had discussions with the Government of the Republic of Ireland on the impact of the Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme on those eligible living in the UK.

Chris Heaton-Harris: I have not had any discussions with the Irish Government on this topic. Details of the scheme are ultimately a matter for the Irish Government.

Care Homes: Republic of Ireland

Karin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what estimate he has made of the number of people living in the United Kingdom who will be eligible for the Republic of Ireland's Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme.

Chris Heaton-Harris: The Government has not made any estimate of the number of people living in the United Kingdom who will be eligible for the scheme. Eligibility is ultimately a matter for the Irish Government.

Care Homes: Republic of Ireland

Karin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on the potential merits of introducing a disregard for recipients of the Republic of Ireland’s Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme compensation.

Chris Heaton-Harris: I have not had any discussions with the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on this topic. Details of the scheme are a matter for the Irish Government.

Department for Business and Trade

Freeports: Foreign Investment in UK

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to her Department's Freedom of Information response of 29 January 2024 to the Rt Hon Member for Islington South and Finsbury of 29 January (reference number FOI2023/08394), how many freeports were recorded as having a number of jobs created as a result of verified foreign direct investment of (a) zero, (b) 1 to 50, (c) 51 to 150, (d) 151 to 250, (e) 251 to 400, (f) 401 to 710 and (g) more than 710 between 1 December 2021 and 29 February 2024.

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to her Department's Freedom of Information response of 29 January to the Rt Hon Member for Islington South and Finsbury of 29 January 2024 (reference number FOI2023/08394), how many freeports were recorded as having an amount of capital expenditure resulting from verified foreign direct investment of (a) £0, (b) £1 to £500,000, (c) £500,001 to £10,000,000, (d) £10,000,001 to £100,000,000, (e) £100,000,001 to £400,000,000, (f) £400,000,001 to £640,000,000 and (g) more than £640,000,000 between 1 December 2021 and 29 February 2024.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: There is an expectation that FDI performance of UK Freeports will be assessed in the upcoming annual report on the programme that DLUHC will be releasing in Summer. The data used in the FOI remain the most recent in the public domain.

Products: Environment Protection

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of introducing Digital Product Passports.

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of Digital Product Passports on the (a) innovation and (b) competitiveness of (i) manufacturing and (ii) exports.

Kevin Hollinrake: My Department is reviewing the product safety framework to ensure it is responsive to new challenges and fit for the future. This includes exploring digital solutions. We have recently announced our intention to introduce new legislation to allow digital labelling for a wide range of product regulations and are working with delivery partners to explore making product safety information digitally available.As we develop our future regulatory framework we are considering the approaches being taken globally and are working closely with other departments to ensure an across Government approach that best meets the UK’s needs.

Department for Business and Trade: Domestic Visits

Pat McFadden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how many domestic overnight visits were undertaken by Ministers in (a) her Department and (b) its predecessor Department in each of the last three financial years; and what the cost of those visits was.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The number of overnight ministerial domestic visits undertaken over the last 3 financial years are as follows. The total costs provided are limited in scope, to only the Minister themselves, and to those booked through the Department's, and its predecessor's (the Department for International Trade), contracted travel provider, which covers costs of rail, air and hotel; where these costs were available.Financial YearTotal number of overnight visitsTotal Cost2021 - 202222£6,470.972022 - 202312£4,493.862023 - 202415£4,514.84

Post Office: TB Cardew

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what is the (a) purpose and (b) value of Post Office Limited's contract with TB Cardew.

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what was the procurement process for the awarding of the contract by Post Office Limited to TB Cardew in 2019.

Kevin Hollinrake: Information on Post Office’s contract with TB Cardew can be accessed here - https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/notice/a6c99396-8da9-419f-a9df-284360e2b765?origin=SearchResults&p=1Post Office’s management, together with the Board of Directors, are responsible for running Post Office day-to-day and taking commercial decisions.As a public sector organisation Post Office is bound by the Public Contracts Regulations 2015. Post Office’s procurement policy is reviewed regularly by the Post Office Board and the Board scrutinises procurements that are high-value or novel and/or contentious. In addition, as per the Articles of Association Post Office requires the prior written consent of the Shareholder for any undertaking to incur any expenditure in excess of £50 million.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Gaza: Humanitarian Aid

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, how much UK Development Aid has been transported by road and air into Gaza in 2024.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: The UK is providing £60 million in humanitarian assistance to support partners including the British Red Cross, UNICEF, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) and Egyptian Red Crescent Society to respond to critical food, fuel, water, health, shelter and security needs in Gaza. Much of this support is in the form of contributions to large scale appeals, which prevents us from directly attributing UK funding to specific items. It includes support to the United Nations World Food Programme to deliver a humanitarian land corridor from Jordan into Gaza. A delivery of 315 tonnes of life-saving food aid was made via this route in January. We also delivered 87 tonnes of aid - inclusive of five tonnes of Cypriot aid - on board RFA Lyme Bay in early January and in late January the UK and Qatar delivered a joint consignment of 17 tonnes of family sized tents. In February the UK and Jordan delivered 4 tonnes of aid by air to Tal Al-Hawa Hospital in northern Gaza.

Iraq: Politics and Government

Jim Shannon: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of progress towards implementing the Sinjar agreement in Iraq.

David Rutley: Progress towards implementing the Sinjar Agreement has been hindered by a number of factors, including tensions between the Government of Iraq and the Kurdistan Regional Government and the extremely complex politics of the region. ⁠We encourage the governments to agree a candidate to appoint as mayor of Sinjar, an important and necessary step to improve the security situation and lives of people living there. The UK continues to work with international partners on this issue.

Afghanistan: Human Rights

Mohammad Yasin: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, if he will make an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of (a) the report entitled A/HRC/55/80: Situation of human rights in Afghanistan - Report of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Afghanistan, published by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights on 29 February 2024 and (b) allegations of human rights abuses against Shia Muslim (i) women and (ii) girls of Hazara ethnicity.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: The Government notes the recommendations in the UN Special Rapporteur's latest report and will continue working closely with the international community, including the G7, G20 and through the UN, to promote and protect the human rights of all Afghans, including women and girls, and to coordinate a consistent international response. More broadly, officials from the UK Mission to Afghanistan regularly press Taliban acting ministers to protect religious and ethnic minorities, including Shia Muslims and Hazara communities.

Falkland Islands: Ports

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether his Department has had discussions with the Falkland Islands Government on the awarding of a contract to Harland & Wolff to support delivery of a port facility.

David Rutley: The UK Government is proud of the expertise offered by British companies such as Harland and Wolff.As a self-governing UK Overseas Territory, any potential redevelopment of the port facility in Stanley is a matter for the Falkland Islands Government. The awarding of contracts for the redevelopment of the port is a commercial matter between the Falkland Islands Government and the companies involved.

Ukraine: Disinformation

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what steps he is taking to tackle disinformation related to the Ukraine conflict.

Leo Docherty: The UK Government has stepped up support for Ukraine to counter foreign information manipulation, both domestically and internationally. We are supporting the Government of Ukraine's strategic communications capacity and continued operation of media organisations, and building the resilience of vulnerable communities most exposed to Russian propaganda. During 2024, we will increase our efforts under the new security co-operation agreement to counter Russia's malign activity.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office: Shell

Clive Lewis: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, pursuant to the Answer of 28 February 2024 to Question 15307 on Shell: Nigeria, if he will publish the (a) dates (b) attendee lists, (c) minutes and (d) any other relevant details of his Department's meetings with Shell on action to address the risks of pollution from oil production in the Niger Delta.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: The UK continues to encourage a coordinated effort between the Nigerian Government, oil and gas companies, and communities to bring an end to all forms of oil contamination in Nigeria. In the most recent meeting, which took place in January, the British High Commissioner met representatives from Shell where he discussed the future of environmental clean-up in the Niger Delta. We do not routinely publish details of meetings with external stakeholders.

Development Aid

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, how much development funding has been paid (a) directly and (b) indirectly to consultancies in each year since 2019.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: The information is not held centrally and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

British Overseas Territories: Departmental Responsibilities

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what recent discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on their responsibilities to the overseas territories.

David Rutley: As the Minister for Overseas Territories, I [Minister Rutley] regularly meet Ministers across Government on priority areas of work progressed by their departments, and on issues requiring cross departmental collaboration. This includes recent meetings with Ministers from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, HM Treasury, Ministry of Justice, Home Office and Ministry of Defence.Each UK Government Department has nominated a Minister with responsibility for the OTs, in support of the long-standing position that each Department should engage and support the OTs in their areas of responsibility. These Ministers meet quarterly as a Ministerial Group chaired by myself, as the FCDO Minister for the Overseas Territories.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport

Members: Correspondence

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, when she plans to respond to the email correspondence of 1 November 2023 from the hon. Member for Sefton Central.

Julia Lopez: Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay responded to this correspondence on 14 March 2024. The Department apologises for the delay in responding.

Football: Governing Bodies

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, when she plans to publish the Football Governance Bill.

Stuart Andrew: This Government is committed to introducing a new independent regulator for English football, to protect and promote the sustainability of English football for the benefit of fans and the local communities football clubs serve.The Government is working at pace to establish an Independent Football Regulator on a statutory footing as soon as parliamentary time allows.

Department for Work and Pensions

Childcare

Stella Creasy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the number of parents with children older than three that have (a) requested and (b) been granted flexibility on the 30 hour work requirement in each of the last 12 months; and what proportion were single parents.

Jo Churchill: No assessment has been made.

Universal Credit

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what is the average waiting time for those on Universal Credit to see a work coach for an initial interview.

Jo Churchill: The requested information is not readily available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Employment: Musculoskeletal Disorders

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to help people with (a) arthritis and (b) a musculoskeletal condition to remain in work.

Mims Davies: The Government has an ambitious programme of initiatives to support disabled people and people with health conditions, including people with arthritis and musculoskeletal conditions, to start, stay and succeed in work. These include: the Work and Health Programme; Access to Work grants; Disability Confident; a digital information service for employers; Disability Employment Advisers and increasing Work Coach support in Jobcentres and Individual Placement and Support in Primary Care. In the Spring Budget 2023, the government set out a package of measures to tackle the leading health-related causes keeping people out of work, including specific initiatives for people with MSK conditions. This includes introducing employment advisers within MSK services, including to support people with MSK conditions to thrive in work and scaling up MSK physical activity hubs in the Community, building on the example of delivering physical activity interventions in local leisure and community centre venues; The Government also announced a new package of support in Autumn Statement 2023 to: double the number of places on the Universal Support employment programme; launch WorkWell in approximately 15 pilot areas to provide light touch work and health support; explore new ways of providing individuals receiving a fit note with timely access to support; and establish an expert group to advise on a framework for Occupational Health provision. In October 2022 we published the Musculoskeletal (MSK) Health Toolkit for employers and further education institutions which encourages employers to support adolescents and young adults with MSK conditions. The Musculoskeletal health toolkit for employers was developed in partnership with Business in the Community and provides practical information for employers of all sizes to address MSK conditions in the workplace for the working age population.

Musculoskeletal Disorders: Health Services

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department plans to take steps to help increase the number of musculoskeletal hubs in local communities.

Mims Davies: The Government announced measures to address economic inactivity, as part of the 2023 Spring Budget. This included £12 m over a period of four years, from April 2024, to scale up Musculoskeletal (MSK) Physical Activity Hubs in the Community. The MSK Physical Activity Hubs in the Community project will seek to build on local practice and explore how to enable people with MSK conditions to access supportive physical activity interventions within local leisure and community settings. This project will also explore how to build in vocational advice. We are currently engaging with stakeholders to expand our understanding of existing practice and inform our approach to this project.

Musculoskeletal Disorders: Government Assistance

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will take steps to increase public awareness of support available to people living with (a) arthritis and (b) musculoskeletal conditions.

Mims Davies: The government has taken steps to increase public awareness of support available to people living with musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions such as arthritis.For example, the Musculoskeletal health: applying All Our Health - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) guide is a government resource to help health and care professionals prevent poor MSK health and promote wellbeing as part of their everyday practice. NHS England’s NHS England » Musculoskeletal health page also highlights the importance of MSK health and suggests resources for healthcare professionals, patients and carers to use.In October 2022, government published the MSK Health Toolkit for employers and further education institution, developed in partnership with Business in the Community, which provides practical information for employers of all sizes to address MSK conditions in the workplace for the working age population.There are multiple risk factors that can heighten an individual’s susceptibility to MSK conditions, including physical inactivity and being underweight, overweight or obese. The ‘Better Health’ campaigns and resources highlights the effects of weight and physical activity and supports people to make and sustain changes to improve their health. The campaign provides free, accessible and evidence-based resources including digital tools, such as NHS Weight Loss, Food Scanner, Couch to 5K and Active 10 apps.Since announcing the MCS in January 2023, we have been working with a range of stakeholders to identify what would make the most difference in tackling the six major conditions groups, which includes MSK conditions. We expect to publish the MCS in Spring of this year. Government also announced funding for scaling up MSK Physical Activity Hubs and embedding employment advice within MSK pathways as part of £400m of funding in Spring Budget 2023 and we are working with a range of stakeholders on these projects.Beyond this, World Arthritis Day (WAD), observed annually on 12 October, spreads awareness of the existence and impact of rheumatic and MSK disorders.

Employment: Musculoskeletal Disorders

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to help ensure that people living with (a) arthritis and (b) a musculoskeletal condition are able to remain in work.

Mims Davies: The Government has an ambitious programme of initiatives to support disabled people and people with health conditions, including people with arthritis and musculoskeletal conditions, to start, stay and succeed in work. These include: the Work and Health Programme; Access to Work grants; Disability Confident; a digital information service for employers; Disability Employment Advisers and increasing Work Coach support in Jobcentres and Individual Placement and Support in Primary Care. In the Spring Budget 2023, the government set out a package of measures to tackle the leading health-related causes keeping people out of work, including specific initiatives for people with MSK conditions. This includes introducing employment advisers within MSK services, including to support people with MSK conditions to thrive in work and scaling up MSK physical activity hubs in the Community, building on the example of delivering physical activity interventions in local leisure and community centre venues. The Government also announced a new package of support in Autumn Statement 2023 to: double the number of places on the Universal Support employment programme; launch WorkWell in approximately 15 pilot areas to provide light touch work and health support; explore new ways of providing individuals receiving a fit note with timely access to support; and establish an expert group to advise on a framework for Occupational Health provision. In October 2022 we published the Musculoskeletal (MSK) Health Toolkit for employers and further education institutions which encourages employers to support adolescents and young adults with MSK conditions. The Musculoskeletal health toolkit for employers was developed in partnership with Business in the Community and provides practical information for employers of all sizes to address MSK conditions in the workplace for the working age population.

Access to Work Scheme

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average waiting time was for an initial assessment for people on the Access to Work Scheme in the latest period for which data is available.

Mims Davies: The average waiting time from application to decision in February 2024 was 40.8 days. Please note that the data supplied is derived from unpublished management information, which was collected for internal Departmental use only, and have not been quality assured to National Statistics or Official Statistics publication standard. They should therefore be treated with caution.

Disability Living Allowance and Personal Independence Payment: Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

Neil O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people claimed (a) PIP and (b) DLA for ADHD since 2013.

Mims Davies: The latest available data on personal independence payment (PIP) clearances split by condition, including ADHD, can be found at https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/. Data is based on primary disabling condition as recorded on the PIP computer systems. Claimants may often have multiple disabling conditions upon which the decision is based but only the primary condition is shown in these statistics. Guidance on how to use Stat-Xplore can be found here: https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/index.html. An account is not required to use Stat- Xplore, the ‘Guest Login’ feature gives instant access to the main functions. Data on Disability Living Allowance (DLA) clearances by condition is not readily available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Personal Independence Payment: Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

Neil O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people claimed PIP for ADHD in each year since 2010.

Mims Davies: The latest available data on personal independence payment (PIP) clearances split by condition, including ADHD, can be found at https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/. Data is based on primary disabling condition as recorded on the PIP computer systems. Claimants may often have multiple disabling conditions upon which the decision is based but only the primary condition is shown in these statistics. Guidance on how to use Stat-Xplore can be found here: https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/index.html. An account is not required to use Stat- Xplore, the ‘Guest Login’ feature gives instant access to the main functions.

Access to Work Programme: Musculoskeletal Disorders

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make an estimate of the number of people with (a) arthritis and (b) a musculoskeletal condition who have accessed support through the access to work programme in the last year.

Mims Davies: The Department does collect information on Access to Work recipient's primary medical condition, however we do not hold information to the level required to identify people with arthritis and/or musculoskeletal conditions. Therefore we are not able to make an estimate of the number of people living with arthritis and/or a musculoskeletal condition that have received support through the Access to Work scheme. Information on Access to Work volumes and expenditure by primary medical condition are published annually in the official statistics: Access to Work statistics: April 2007 to March 2023 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Access to Work Programme: Musculoskeletal Disorders

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make an estimate of the number of people living with (a) arthritis and (b) a musculoskeletal condition that have received support through the Access to Work scheme.

Mims Davies: The Department does collect information on Access to Work recipient's primary medical condition, however we do not hold information to the level required to identify people with arthritis and/or musculoskeletal conditions. Therefore we are not able to make an estimate of the number of people living with arthritis and/or a musculoskeletal condition that have received support through the Access to Work scheme. Information on Access to Work volumes and expenditure by primary medical condition are published annually in the official statistics: Access to Work statistics: April 2007 to March 2023 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Access to Work Programme: Musculoskeletal Disorders

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will take steps to ensure that access to work support is targeted towards people with (a) arthritis and (b) a musculoskeletal condition.

Mims Davies: The Access to Work process assesses the needs of the individual to ensure they have the appropriate support they need to access and stay in work. This includes providing support for people with arthritis and musculoskeletal conditions. We do not specifically promote the scheme to any one type of disability or long-term health condition.

Access to Work Programme

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to improve awareness of the Access to Work programme.

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to raise awareness of the access to work programme.

Mims Davies: Information about Access to Work (AtW) is widely available in Jobcentres and across government, including a range of online resources. Our stakeholders actively promote the scheme to groups and customers that might benefit from support. Our new online application and payment portals mean that it is now easier for customers to apply for and claim the support they need.

Employment: Disability

Dr Philippa Whitford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answers of 6 March 2024 to Question 16495 and of 11 March 2024 to Question 17444 on Employment: Disability, what guidance his Department issues to employers on home assessments to ensure the suitability of equipment for disabled people taking on home-based employment.

Mims Davies: An employer has the same health and safety responsibilities for people working from home, including those with disabilities, as for any other workers. Employers must protect their workers from health and safety risks from working on a computer or laptop (display screen equipment or DSE) at home and should check to see if the Display Screen Equipment Regulations apply. HSE guidance provides more information: Managing home workers' health and safety - Overview – HSE Separately, the Chance to Work Guarantee will remove reassessments for the majority of Universal Credit (UC) or Employment and Support Allowance claimants (ESA) with no work-related requirements. The purpose of the Guarantee is to encourage claimants who have been assessed without work-related requirements to try work without the fear of reassessment, within existing permitted work rules in ESA and work allowance rules in UC.

Older People: Finance

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of providing financial support to people who are (a) aged 66 when the State Pension age rises to 67 and (b) unable to continue working until they are 67 due to (i) illness and (ii) disability.

Jo Churchill: Financial support is available through the welfare system for working age people.

Care Homes: Republic of Ireland

Karin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he plans to take steps to help ensure that the treatment of payments made under the Republic of Ireland’s Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme to those living in the UK do not discriminate against those in receipt of means-tested benefits.

Jo Churchill: Means-tested benefits have no specific disregard of payments made by the Republic of Ireland’s Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme to those living in Great Britain and DWP currently has no plans to change this policy.

Vacancies

Liz Kendall: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Office for Budget Responsibility publication entitled Economic and Fiscal Outlook, published in March 2024, whether he has made a comparative assessment of the potential impact of the projected labour participation rate on the number of job vacancies over the next five years.

Jo Churchill: The DWP is not an economic forecaster. This sits with the OBR who have forecast total hours worked in the economy will increase over the next 5 years.

Universal Credit

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people received an advance payment of universal credit between 1 April 2022 and 31 March 2023.

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people received an advance payment of universal credit between 1 April 2023 and 12 March 2024.

Jo Churchill: Between 1 April 2022 and 31 March 2023, 880,000 Universal Credit (UC) households received at least one advance payment of UC and between 1 April 2023 and 30 November 2023, 610,000 UC households received at least one advance payment of UC. Notes:1. Figures have been rounded to the nearest 10,000.2. Figures are provisional and are subject to retrospective change as later data becomes available.3. Data up to November 2023 has been provided in line with the latest available UC Household Statistics.4. This analysis includes New Claims, Change of Circumstances and Benefit Transfers as these are an advance of a Universal Credit payment. Budgeting Advances have been excluded since these are loans to help with emergency household costs and not an advance of Universal Credit payment.5. Households with more than one advance payment in the stated time period have only been counted once.

Restart Scheme

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department plans to extend the restart scheme beyond 2025.

Jo Churchill: As announced in the 2023 Autumn Statement, DWP is looking to extend the Restart Scheme for an extra two years with final referrals being made in June 2026.

Jobcentres: Armed Forces

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of employing an Armed Forces Champion at every Jobcentre.

Mims Davies: As part of the Armed Forces Covenant the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has initiatives which help current and former Armed Forces personnel and their families. This includes the role of the Armed Forces Champion in every Jobcentre Plus District, who provide specialist support to members of the Armed Forces community and build Work Coach capability in our Jobcentres. Armed Forces Champions develop and maintain joint working relationships, provide specialist support to all Jobcentre staff and act as the first point of contact in communities for organisations and services. Although there is no specific assessment carried out, the Department regularly evaluates the role to ensure we deliver the best service possible and we have had, and continue to receive positive feedback from customers and external stakeholders regarding their experience of working with Armed Forces Champions.

Home Office

Home Office: Civil Proceedings

Alex Norris: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to paragraphs 7.16 and 7.17 of the Ministerial Code, on how many occasions Ministers in his Department have informed the Law Officers that they are the defendants in a libel action in (a) their personal capacity, (b) their official position and (c) both since 19 December 2019.

Chris Philp: The fact that the Law Officers have advised or have not advised and the content of their advice must not be disclosed outside Government without their authority.

Fraud: Conferences

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether representatives of (a) India, (b) the Philippines, (c) Indonesia, (d) Nigeria, (e) Ghana and (f) South Africa were invited to the Global Fraud Summit held at Lancaster House from 11-12 March 2024.

Tom Tugendhat: The Home Secretary convened the first ever Global Fraud Summit, featuring Ministers and representatives from across 11 countries as well as international institutions to agree a co-ordinated action plan to dismantle international fraud networks. With over 70% of the UK fraud threat having an overseas element, strengthening international collaboration is critical.The countries included in the summit were those with a similar pattern of victimisation, aiming to develop joint working and share best practice. We are also working bilaterally with a number of countries, including some of the ones listed in the question and have already agreed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Nigerian Government which includes a strategic dialogue on online fraud.

Fraud: Conferences

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to paragraph 137 of the Fraud Strategy, published on 3 May 2023, whether any country considered by his Department to be financially benefiting from fraud was in attendance at the Global Fraud Summit held at Lancaster House from 11-12 March 2024.

Tom Tugendhat: We currently have no assessment of which countries are benefitting from fraud.We are determined that through strong international collaboration, we will raise global standards and push forward a co-ordinated approach to tackle fraud.This is why we hosted the first Global Fraud Summit and agreed an ambitious plan for tackling fraud across the world.

Visas: Ukraine

Neil Coyle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if his Department will reinstate the digital application process for Ukrainians in the UK.

Tom Pursglove: All Ukraine scheme application forms are accessed online. The application process which allowed Ukraine scheme applicants to use the UK Immigration ID Check app to provide facial biometrics was open to eligible Ukrainians outside of the UK until 7 December 2023. This process was only ever available for Ukrainians applying from outside of the UK. We keep the Ukraine schemes and application processes under constant review, including for Ukrainians in the UK.

Fraud

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the press notice entitled UK hosts world leaders for first Global Fraud Summit, published on 11 March 2024, if he will publish the evidential basis on which the statement was made that £3 billion was lost to overseas accounts last year as a result of fraud.

Tom Tugendhat: The £3 billion figure is an estimate of the UK fraud losses that either originated abroad or had an international element.This estimate combines data on the fraud losses that was publicly available over the period of Financial Year 22/23 on the Action Fraud dashboard (the latest Action Fraud data can be found here NFIB Dashboard (Public) (arcgis.com), with the estimate that over 70% of fraud originated abroad or has an international element, which was published in the Fraud Strategy Tackling fraud and rebuilding trust (publishing.service.gov.uk)

Detention Centres: Crimes of Violence and Harassment

Stephen Kinnock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many allegations of (a) sexual assault, (b) physical assault and (c) harassment by staff have been made by detainees in detention centres in each of the last five years.

Michael Tomlinson: We operate a comprehensive complaints process in immigration removal centres, residential and non-residential short-term holding facilities (STHFs), pre-departure accommodation (PDA) and during escort. Complaints are managed in line with published guidance ‘Handling complaints in immigration removal centres’ - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) and are recorded under predetermined categories; service complaints, minor misconduct complaints or serious misconduct complaints. Data on the overall number of complaints received in each category is included in published data at Customer service operations data: Q4 2023 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

Treasury

Mortgages: Government Assistance

Chris Evans: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will announce a timeline for a decision on whether additional measures will be introduced to further support mortgage prisoners.

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent steps he has taken to support homeowners who are unable to switch to a cheaper mortgage deal.

Bim Afolami: The Government understands that being unable to switch your mortgage can be extremely stressful. Alongside the Financial Conduct Authority and industry, we have shown we are willing to act through the introduction of a ‘modified affordability assessment’, which removes the regulatory barriers that prevented some customers, who otherwise may have been able to switch, from accessing new products. We are also regularly in contact with key stakeholders, including recently with the UK Mortgage Prisoners campaign group.The Government remains committed to this issue and will continue to work with industry and wider stakeholders to determine if there are proposals that will meaningly benefit affected borrowers and be fair to other borrowers in the wider market.

Revenue and Customs: Research

Neil O'Brien: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many research projects have started work in the HMRC datalab in each year since 2013.

Nigel Huddleston: HMRC Datalab have provided 106 projects access to de-identified HMRC data for research purposes, since 2012.

Special Educational Needs: Finance

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he made an assessment with Cabinet colleagues of the potential merits of increasing funding for SEND provision in the Spring Budget 2024.

Laura Trott: The Chancellor and Chief Secretary hold regular discussions with Cabinet colleagues on spending priorities for fiscal events.Spring Budget 2024 committed to an initial £105 million over the next four years towards a wave of 15 special free schools. This will create over 2,000 additional high-quality places across England for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).In the 2024/25 financial year, high needs revenue funding is rising to over £10.5 billion, an increase of over 60% from 2019/20. We also published the SEND and alternative provision improvement plan last year, which set out our plans to reform the system so that children and young people with SEND will get high-quality, early support wherever they live in the country.

Social Services: Finance

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he made an assessment with Cabinet colleagues of the potential merits of increasing funding for (a) social care and (b) the Better Care Fund in the Spring Budget 2024.

Laura Trott: The Chancellor and Chief Secretary hold regular discussions with Cabinet colleagues on spending priorities for fiscal events.The government has now made available up to £8.6bn in additional funding over this financial year and next to support adult social care and discharge. This includes £500m announced in January which has specifically been made available to support local authorities with the cost of social care in 2024-25 in response to representations from local government stakeholders. This funding will enable local authorities to buy more care packages, help people leave hospital on time, improve workforce recruitment and retention, and reduce waiting times for care.

Local Government Finance

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he made an assessment with Cabinet colleagues of the potential merits of increasing funding for local government in the Spring Budget 2024.

Laura Trott: The Chancellor and Chief Secretary hold regular discussions with Cabinet colleagues on spending priorities for fiscal events.Local councils play an essential role in the fabric of our country – providing services which we all rely on and supporting some of the most vulnerable people in our communities.That is why the final Local Government Finance Settlement for 2024-25 makes available up to £64.7 billion in total for local authorities in England, which includes the £600 million of additional measures that was announced on 24 January in response to representations from local government stakeholders. This is an increase in overall Core Spending Power of 7.5%, or up to £4.5 billion, on 2023-24, an above-inflation increase.The Government is continuing to support all councils by providing a sector-wide Funding Guarantee, ensuring all local authorities see a minimum 4% increase in Core Spending Power before local council tax decisions.

NHS: Finance

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to paragraph 2.20 of the Spring Budget 2024, HC 560, if he will take steps to ensure the (a) governance and (b) accountability of the £3.4 billion allocated to the NHS.

Laura Trott: The Government and NHS England have been working closely together on plans to improve productivity following the publication of the Long Term Workforce Plan last summer, including on the announcement last week of £3.4bn additional investment allowing the NHS to commit to a significant increase in productivity growth.This investment will continue to remain subject to close work between Government and NHS, recognising its importance for ensuring the NHS’s sustainability and ability to deliver better outcomes for patients.To support delivery of the productivity programme, Spring Budget also highlighted that an external expert advisory panel will be convened to ensure that technological and digital transformation plans have the support and challenge to deliver on its goals, with NHS England also starting reporting against new productivity metrics regularly from the second half of 2024-25. Further detail will be set out in due course

NHS and Public Sector: Productivity

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will publish the (a) Public Sector Productivity Programme and (b) NHS productivity plan.

Laura Trott: The government published detail on the Public Sector Productivity Programme in the Spring Budget. This included the announcement of £4.2 billion to drive productivity in the NHS and the wider public sector, and a separate document, Seizing the Opportunity, that outlined work to date across government to improve efficiency and productivity in counter-fraud, procurement, project management, asset management and digital transformation.

Pension Funds: Investment

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will take steps to incentivise pension funds to invest in the UK.

Bim Afolami: The Government is taking steps to strengthen capital markets, boost savings, increase pension fund transparency and facilitate investment in UK companies. Building on the announcements at Mansion House and Autumn Statement, at Spring Budget the Chancellor announced further measures incentivise pension funds to invest in the UK.This includes introducing new requirements for DC and local government pension funds to disclose publicly their level of international and UK equity investments, and DC funds will be required to compare their performance against their largest competitors. We will then consider what further action should be taken if we are not on a positive trajectory.These measures are to ensure that pension managers are focused on securing good returns for savers, rather than focused on driving down management fees at the expense of long-term performance.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Hedges and Ditches: Nature Conservation

Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he plans to take to help protect hedgerows.

Ian Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help protect hedgerows.

Holly Mumby-Croft: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what progress his Department has made on plans to (a) regulate and (b) maintain hedgerow protection.

Rebecca Pow: The Hedgerows Regulations 1997 set legal protections for hedgerows in England and Wales. These existing regulations prohibit the removal of most countryside hedgerows (or parts of them) without first seeking approval from the local planning authority. In June 2023, the Government launched a consultation on how hedgerows should be further protected in England. The responses to the consultation supported bringing hedgerow management rules into regulation and this is what the Government will do as soon as parliamentary time allows. The regulations will require a 2-metre buffer strip, measured from the centre of the hedge, where no cultivation or application of pesticides or fertilisers must take place, and will ban the cutting of hedges between 1 March and 31 August. The regulations will support other Government actions and incentives, including over 90,000 km of hedgerows being managed through 16,000 agreements in the Government’s Countryside Stewardship and Sustainable Farming Incentive schemes.Defra is also working with stakeholders and other Government departments to understand how to support the creation and maintenance of hedgerows in non-agricultural contexts, to maximise the benefits they provide.

Litter: Rural Areas

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to tackle littering in rural areas.

Robbie Moore: The Prime Minister’s Anti-Social Behaviour Action Plan set out how we will support councils across the country to take tougher action against those who litter. For example, last year we significantly raised the upper limit on fixed penalty notices from £150 to £500 and from 1 April 2024 councils will have to spend this income on enforcement or clean up activity. We have previously given district councils powers to hold the keeper of a vehicle responsible for littering offences committed from it. Natural England refreshed the Countryside Code in 2021 which makes clear visitors’ responsibilities in protecting the environment when accessing the outdoors. This includes the need to take rubbish and food waste home, use public bins or recycle if possible. National Highways’ recent campaign aimed to change road users’ behaviour towards littering. The campaign ran from 12 February to 10 March and road users were implored to stop littering as its deadly impact on wildlife was revealed.

Attorney General

International Law

Sir William Cash: To ask the Attorney General, whether she has agreed with Cabinet colleagues on the circumstances in which international law may supersede domestic legislation.

Victoria Prentis: The Law Officers’ Convention requires that it is not generally disclosed outside Government whether I have been asked to provide advice or the contents of any such advice. This is a longstanding principle of Cabinet collective agreement which enables the Government of the day to obtain frank and full legal advice in confidence.

Department for Science, Innovation and Technology

Members: Correspondence

John Penrose: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, when she plans to respond to the correspondence of (a) 13 December 2023 and (b) 5 February 2024 from the Rt hon. Member for Weston-super-Mare on behalf of a constituent on the Data Protection and Digital Information Bill.

Julia Lopez: The Department provided a response to the Member on 8 March, though apologises profusely for the delay experienced on this occasion.

ICT: Innovation

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, with reference to her Department's press release entitled Government commits up to £3.5 billion to future of tech and science, published on 16 March 2023, how much of the £900 million of funding for a new exascale supercomputer has been allocated.

Andrew Griffith: The funding announced at the Spring Budget 2023, supports DSIT to deliver on the Government’s key science and technology priorities, this includes investing £900 million in an Exascale supercomputer and AI Research Resource (AIRR) to enhance the UK’s Compute capabilities. HMG also confirmed additional investment for the AIRR project and established Isambard AI which will be operational later this year. Since the Spring Budget announcement, HMG announced Edinburgh Parallel Computing Centre (EPCC) as the preferred site to host exascale. More details around the project will be announced once decisions around procurement have been confirmed.

UK Space Agency

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps her Department is taking to encourage the UK Space Agency to undertake engagement and outreach activities.

Andrew Griffith: The UK Space Agency’s work programme is driven by HMG’s National Space Strategy. The UK Space Agency’s corporate plan, once agreed by Ministers, sets out the activities that will be delivered to achieve the Government’s objectives.A link to the National Space Strategy is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-space-strategy.

Horizon Europe

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what discussions officials in her Department have had with the devolved Administrations on the potential merits of increasing levels of engagement with Horizon Europe in (a) Wales, (b) Scotland and (c) Northern Ireland.

Andrew Griffith: The Government is undertaking a series of actions to support UK businesses and researchers in re-engaging with Horizon Europe. The Government launched pump-priming schemes and a largescale marketing campaign to support and encourage researchers and businesses to bid for Horizon funding. My department has established a new forum to engage with R&D sector stakeholders on engagement in Horizon Europe, including measures to boost participation. Officials from all the devolved Administrations attend this network.

Research: Labour Turnover and Recruitment

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what recent assessment her Department has made of the ability of public sector research establishments to recruit and retain talent.

Andrew Griffith: Public sector research establishments are diverse organisations that deliver science and research for public good, often playing a vital role in critical infrastructure and public safety. Around 50 public sector research establishments are sponsored by Government Departments, employing over 50,000 FTE, including more than 17,000 scientists and technologists. The Government’s response to the Independent Review of the UK's Research, Development and Innovation (RDI) Organisational Landscape, published in November 2023, acknowledged the challenges faced by public sector research establishments to recruit and retain talent and committed to improving the evidence base of the workforce challenges across public sector RDI organisations.

Broadband

Anna Firth: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of open access fibre networks on broadband rollout targets.

Julia Lopez: As set out in the 2018 Future Telecoms Infrastructure Review, the Government believes competition is the best way to rapidly increase the deployment of gigabit-capable networks, including full fibre, across the UK. Companies are free to decide their own business model, for example whether they run only as a network operator, only as an internet service provider or if they operate as a vertically integrated business. Companies are also free to decide which companies they partner with. Some companies have decided to be open access, while others have adopted other models.While the Government has not conducted research specifically on the impact of open access fibre networks on broadband rollout targets, the current pro-competition approach has been successful in increasing gigabit-capable networks in the UK from less than 10% coverage in 2019 to more than 80% coverage today. More than 100 companies with various business models across the UK helped with this rapid rollout - the fastest rate in Europe. Consumers also benefit from competitive broadband prices. In difficult to reach areas which might not be commercially viable, the government has invested £5bn to incentivise the rollout of gigabit capable networks.

Broadband: Housing

Anna Firth: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what information her Department holds on providers of broadband connections to new build housing developments.

Anna Firth: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, to what proportion of new build housing developments Openreach provides broadband connections.

Anna Firth: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, to what proportion of new build housing developments independent network operators provide broadband connections.

Julia Lopez: The Building etc. (Amendment) (England) (No. 2) Regulations 2022 came into force from 26th December 2022 to ensure that new homes in England are future-proofed and have access to the fastest broadband. The Regulations require developers of new build homes in England to install the gigabit-ready physical infrastructure necessary for gigabit-capable connections. Additionally, and subject to a £2,000 cost cap per premise, developers need to install a gigabit-capable connection. Where a developer is unable to secure a gigabit-capable connection within the cost cap, a next best technology connection available within the same cost cap must be installed. This means first a superfast connection, and then at least a broadband connection is required. Thinkbroadband statistics for homes built in 2023 indicate that 98% of new homes developed across the UK have access to a gigabit-connection through Fibre to the Premises (FTTP). The provision of Gigabit infrastructure for new build homes comes from many different network operators including Openreach and alternative ‘altnet’ providers. It is open to developers to secure multiple connections through this infrastructure. Some housing developers have made arrangements to ensure that new build developments are served by multiple network operators providing access to numerous broadband service providers. The Department does not hold data on the proportion of new build housing developments to which network operators provide broadband connections but further information on the breakdown of the new build home broadband market is available from ISPreview.

Broadband: Power Failures

Sir Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what recent assessment she has made of the potential impact of electricity supply disruption on households with fibre broadband.

Julia Lopez: DSIT engages regularly with Communication Providers and Ofcom regulate how telecoms companies should fulfil their regulatory obligations in the event of a power cut. Communication Providers are required to meet standards and specifications set out in the General Conditions of Entitlement, under obligations imposed by the Communications Act 2003, to ensure continuity of service. Ofcom guidance states that communications providers should have at least one solution that enables access to emergency organisations, for a minimum of one hour in the event of a power outage. DSIT works closely on a range of resilience issues in partnership with industry, through the Electronic Communications Resilience & Response Group (EC-RRG), who engage in regular dialogue with the Energy Networks Association across a range of issues to help strengthen resilience between the two sectors. Ofcom recently closed a consultation on proposing a set of revised resilience guidance for communications providers with a statement on the resilience guidance expected in summer 2024.

Artificial Intelligence: Departmental Coordination

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, with reference to paragraph 21 of the report entitled A pro-innovation approach to AI regulation: Government response, CP 1019, published on 6 February 2024, whether the (a) lead AI Ministers and (b) new Inter-Ministerial Group to drive effective coordination across government on AI issues have met.

Saqib Bhatti: It is a long-established precedent that information about the discussions that have taken place in Cabinet and its Committees, and how often they have met, is not normally shared publicly.

ICT: Innovation

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what proportion of the £900m pledged to implement the recommendations in the independent Future of Compute review for an exascale supercomputer has been allocated as of 12 March 2024.

Andrew Griffith: In 2023 the government committed funding of £900m to deliver an Exascale supercomputer and the AI Research Resource (AIRR). In November we confirmed that £300m was being invested in the AIRR, via the Isambard-AI and Dawn facilities. Further details on delivery of the Exascale programme and AIRR expansion will follow in due course.

Leader of the House

Legislative Drafting: Gender

Nick Fletcher: To ask the Leader of the House, with reference to the Answer of 19 June 2023 to Question 187222, on Legislative Drafting: Gender, whether the revised guidance has been completed; and whether she continues to plan to place it in the Libraries of both Houses and publish it on the gov.uk website.

Penny Mordaunt: The Office of the Parliamentary Counsel has updated its drafting guidance in general and, following the written statement, has further information for drafters on gendered language. This will be published on GOV.UK in due course.

Ministry of Defence

Sheffield Forgemasters: Finance

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent funding Sheffield Forgemasters has received from the Nuclear Innovation Programme.

James Cartlidge: Sheffield Forgemasters received £4,224,812 of funding from the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero sponsored Nuclear Innovation Programme between July 2019 and June 2023.

Ranger Regiment: Deployment

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many deployments have the Ranger Regiment participated in since 2021.

James Heappey: Since 2021, the British Army’s Ranger Regiment has conducted 691 deployments.

Ranger Regiment

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many personnel there are in the Ranger Regiment of the British Army.

James Heappey: As of 1 January 2024, there were 1,040 Regular Army Personnel serving in the Ranger Regiment. Please note the following notes/caveats from Analysis (Army): This figure represents Trade Trained Regular and Gurkha Army only and therefore excludes Full Time Reserve Service, Mobilised Reserves and all other Reserves. The figure includes all personnel who are serving in a battalion within the Ranger Regiment. As the Ranger Regiment is still an evolving organisation, the above information includes all personnel serving in a Ranger Battalion, some of which may not be Rangers. Figures therefore include attached Arms and are not comparable to figures for other Infantry Regiments. The figure includes Gurkhas serving in Ranger Units. The figure has been rounded to 10 for presentational purposes; numbers ending in "5" have been rounded to the nearest multiple of 20 to prevent systematic bias.

Singapore: Shipping

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many times UK ships have visited Singapore in each year since 2010.

James Heappey: The number of ships that have visited Singapore in each year since 2010 are shown in the table below:  20102011201220132014201520162017201820192020202120222023Number of Ships01042000542343

Singapore: Armed Forces

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many UK Armed Forces Personnel have been deployed in Singapore in each year since 2010.

James Heappey: Number of UK Armed Forces Service personnel deployed in Singapore since 2010: 201020112012201320142015201620172018201920202021202220230~0800000~100~~~ The UK also has military personnel stationed in Singapore in the British High Commission as part of its Defence Section and the British Defence Staff Southeast Asia, as well as part of the British Defence Singapore Support Unit. Full details are in the table below. Number of UK Regulars stationed in Singapore as at 1 January since 2010: 201020112012201320142015201620172018201920202021202220232024101010~~~~101010101010~10 Deployed personnel are defined here as military personnel who are deployed on operations. Navy personnel who have been deployed on a ship are not included in deployment figures for countries even if the operation that they are deployed on includes duties in the country or countries mentioned in the above figures. Deployment data are derived from the Joint Personnel Administration (JPA) `Move and Track` system, which records all personnel who enter a deployment theatre for over 24hrs. Figures of 5 or fewer are represented by ‘~’.

Hawk Aircraft

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the flight hour limit is on Hawk T2 engines.

James Cartlidge: The engine life of the Rolls-Royce Adour 951 engine is currently limited to 1,700 flying hours due to safety limitations which were introduced following the discovery of damage affecting some engine components.

Hawk Aircraft: Repairs and Maintenance

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the annual maintenance budget is for the Hawk T2 fleet.

James Cartlidge: Maintenance for the Hawk T2 airframe is provided under the Hawk Integrated Support Solution (HISS) contract (airframe). The HISS Contract price from April 2023 to March 2024 is £56 million. Additionally, the Adour 951 engine is supported by the Hawk Engine Support Solution (HESS) contract. The HESS Contract price from April 2023 to March 2024 is £7.88 million.

Hawk Aircraft

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the cost per flight hour is for the Hawk T2 aircraft.

James Cartlidge: I am withholding the information requested as its release would prejudice commercial interests.

Ukraine: Military Aid

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the decision by Australia to provide AUS $50 million to the International Fund for Ukraine on 15 February 2024, whether this funding will be used for a third round of bids for the Fund.

James Heappey: The third International Fund for Ukraine Urgent Bidding Round launched in January 2024. The recent decision by the Government of Australia to contribute to the International Fund for Ukraine increases the money available within the Fund for the purchase of critical capabilities for Ukraine.

Ukraine: Military Aid

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the decision by Australia to provide AUS $50 million to the International Fund for Ukraine on 15 February 2024, whether any new contracts have been placed through the Fund since that date.

James Heappey: Since 15 February 2024 no new contracts have been placed through the International Fund for Ukraine. Two contract amendment have been placed to provide additional air defence ammunition, tracks and engines for Armoured Fighting Vehicles to Ukraine.

Germany: Military Alliances

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what plans he has to (a) maintain and (b) enhance (i) intelligence-sharing and (ii) security cooperation with (A) Germany and (B) other allies.

James Heappey: The UK has excellent sovereign capabilities, but these are enhanced and extended by our international alliances. The Government recently published it response to the Intelligence and Security Committee Report on 'International Partnerships', and welcomes the important oversight provided by the Committee. The Ministry of Defence remains committed to broadening and deepening our relationships with Germany and allies, who make an invaluable contribution to the safety and security of the UK.

Hawk Aircraft

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of successors to the Hawk T2 aircraft.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate her Department has made of the costs of replacing the Hawk T2 aircraft.

James Cartlidge: The RAF has already started its standard Capability Investigation process into the future of combat aircrew training; this comprehensive review will include the approach to the procurement of the replacement of the current Advanced Jet Trainer capability. The investigation will consider options for aircraft, simulators and associated combined live / virtual training, such that we can continue to deliver a world-class training capability for the UK Armed Forces.The Capability Investigation's findings are expected later this year and will provide evidence on likely costs and timing of the replacement training solution to the Hawk T2.

Armed Forces: Housing

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when Ideal Heating Logic 2 Combi & System Boiler Range (2401-0138) products were first installed in service family accommodation properties.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when (a) officials and (b) Ministers in his Department first learnt of fire safety issues related to Ideal Heating Logic 2 Combi & System Boiler Range (2401-0138) products.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when fire safety issues related to the Ideal Heating Logic 2 Combi & System Boiler Range (2401-0138) products were first discovered.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department plans to cover the cost of (a) removing and (b) replacing the Ideal Heating Logic 2 Combi & System Boiler Range (2401-0138) products in service family accommodation.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many service families accommodation properties are affected by the product recall of Ideal Heating Logic 2 Combi & System Boiler Range (2401-0138) products.

James Cartlidge: The affected Ideal Heating Logic 2 Combi and System Boiler Range (2401-0138) were installed in Service Family Accommodation (SFA) properties from August 2022 to early January 2024. It is not known when Ideal first discovered this issue. Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) officials were made aware of potential fire safety issues relating to these boilers on 31 January 2024 and have interpreted Ideal’s risk assessment of the boiler fault occurring as very low. There was no requirement to inform Ministers, as this is routine Departmental business, however the Minister for Defence Procurement received a submission on this on 12 March 2024. DIO has communicated the recall via MOD stakeholders for cascade to Service personnel, through DIO’s Families First newsletter and via gov.uk; this week, a letter will be/has been issued to all Service Families living in SFA. Ideal will cover all costs of repairs and installations, therefore there will be no cost to the Department.DIO has identified 1,626 SFA which have the Ideal Heating Logic 2 Combi and System Boilers (2401-0138) installed.

Germany: Armed Forces

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what discussions he has had with his German counterpart on leaks of discussions among members of that country's armed forces.

James Heappey: The Secretary of State for Defence held a secure phone call with Boris Pistorius, the German Federal Minister of Defence, on 4 March 2024. They discussed the specifics of the incident itself, and Minister Pistorius set out the steps that Germany is taking to investigate and to prevent future incidents. The investigation itself is a matter for the German Government, but the Secretary of State for Defence has full faith that Germany is handling the matter appropriately. While it is right that we treat this matter very seriously, we must also be very clear that Putin leaked this call in an attempt to drive a wedge between us and weaken the West's collective support for Ukraine; we must not let that happen and we must show that we are united and resolved to support Ukraine for the long term.

Ukraine: Military Aid

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much funding from the International Fund for Ukraine has been (a) committed and (b) spent on contracts awarded through the Fund.

James Heappey: The International Fund for Ukraine has committed £344 million across 27 contracts. To date, £131 million has been spent on these contracts.

Ukraine: Military Aid

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the value of contributions by each country is to the International Fund for Ukraine.

James Heappey: To date seven countries have contributed £896 million to the International Fund for Ukraine. These contributions are set out in the following table: CountryContribution in £millionDenmark133Iceland3Lithuania5Netherlands110Norway119Sweden26UK500  Australia and New Zealand have recently announced their intention to contribute 50 million Australian dollars and 6.5 million New Zealand dollars to the International Fund for Ukraine.

Independent Review of UK Government Welfare Services for Veterans

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what his planned timetable is to implement the recommendations of The Independent Review of UK Government Welfare Services for Veterans 2023, published on 17 July 2023.

Dr Andrew Murrison: Our response to the Review was published in December 2023. The Government accepts the principle and intended outcome of all the review’s recommendations and is currently working to deliver them. There are several recommendations which the Ministry of Defence is already actively taking forward, including the retirement of the Veterans UK brand, and the transformation of the way we deliver welfare support to ensure a consistently high level of service. The response sets out our commitment and high-level plans, and further detail will be made available in due course as we make progress.

Navy and Reserve Forces: Recruitment

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the (a) recruitment target for and (b) number of personnel recruited to the (i) full time Royal Navy and (ii) Maritime Reserves was in each year since 2010.

Dr Andrew Murrison: Please see the table below for the recruitment target and number personnel recruited to the Royal Navy in each year since 2010:Recruiting YearTarget*Intake**2010-2011133213312011-2012147214642012-2013169216422013-2014227421442014-2015223721762015-2016257621922016-2017277923112017-2018284322842018-2019304323652019-2020300926372020-2021317529252021-2022296324942022-202327382001* Source Recruit and Attract, Navy Directorate of Personnel and Training**Source: Analysis Navy It is taking time to collate the information requested for the Maritime Reserve, therefore I will write to the right hon. Member once this process is complete.

Air Force and Reserve Forces: Recruitment

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the (a) recruitment target for and (b) number of personnel recruited to the (i) full-time RAF and (ii) RAF Reserves was in each year since 2010.

Dr Andrew Murrison: Information required to answer the question is not held centrally and will take time to collate. I will write to the right hon. Member as soon as the information is available.

Air Force: Advertising

Dame Siobhain McDonagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much the RAF spent on advertising (a) above the line, (b) on Tiktok, (c) on Facebook and Instagram, (d) on Snapchat and (e) on Twitter in each financial year since 2017.

Dr Andrew Murrison: This question has been interpreted as spend on advertising for Recruitment. With regards to the figures for 2017, I will write to the hon. Member and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House Year2018201920202021202220232024Spend £742,1629,453,4798,334,1912,820,4558,541,16011,240,8602,209,334.Year2018201920202021202220232024Facebook/Inst£52,735£887,324£874,933£310,407£158,550£610,013£179,662SnapChat £63,001£178,558£6,663£542,277£654,943£175,206Twitter  £48,384£11,152£83,269£4,992

Armed Forces: Parachuting

Dame Siobhain McDonagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 23 February 2024 to Question 13532 on Armed Forces: Parachuting, if he will break down the data provided by (a) broken bones, (b) respiratory illness, (c) punctured lungs, (d) other injury and (e) death.

Dr Andrew Murrison: From 1 January 2016 to 31 December 2023, a total of 527 Service personnel sustained injuries from parachuting. Of these: 143 had broken bones (fractures)1 had a respiratory illness382 had other injuries There was one fatality as a result of parachuting in 2021. This information was drawn from a number of databases and relied on manual data extraction based on specific search terms. The type of injury was identified from a number of different variables in the data including the free text narrative of the description of the incident. The MOD Health and Safety systems are not medical databases and do not contain clinical diagnoses. The databases are also live and therefore information is subject to change or revisions. As a result, there is a risk of inconsistency with the data, and the returns may not be exhaustive. Any records that did not contain one of the search terms used has been categorised as ‘other’. These are reported conditions including but not limited to sprains, pain, bruising and lacerations.

Army: Advertising

Dame Siobhain McDonagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much the Army spent on advertising (a) above the line, (b) on Tiktok, (c) on Facebook and Instagram, (d) on Snapchat and (e) on Twitter in each financial year since 2017.

Dr Andrew Murrison: The table shows the cost of the Army’s recruitment advertising costs by financial year. Media Name2018-192019-202020-212021-222202-23Facebook£231,425£576,454£494,971£532,996.82£606,351Snapchat£79,903£130,020£204,345£388,521.19£479,342.14Twitter£55,431£203,164£129,277£196,164.98£90,000Display£1,292,885£3,506,037£3,804,808£3,500,017£2,309,891Out of Home£287,000£451,614£190,000£200,000£150,000Radio£388,980£1,813,738£859,134£1,045,000£964,998Paid Search£209,532£699,264£1,153,600£1,355,525£1,165,874.32TV£1,992,500£3,076,945£4,429,580£2,524,105£3,594,987  Please note the following notes/caveats:  These figures are single Service estimates based on management information which is not gathered for statistical purposes or subject to the same level of scrutiny as official statistics produced by Defence Statistics.The data for financial year 2018/2019 represents costs from November 2018 to March 2019.The breakdown prior to November 2018 is not held. This data would need to be produced by an external contractor who no longer provides this service for the Army.Spend on Facebook advertising from March – May 2023 will be incorporated in the 23/24 financial year, as this is the period for which the services were procured.Spending on Instagram is incorporated in Facebook figures, as both fall under the umbrella of Meta.Recruiting Group do not advertise on TikTok.For the purposes of this answer, ‘above the line’ is taken to include Display, Out of Home, Radio, Paid Search and TV.

Army and Army Reserve: Recruitment

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the (a) recruitment target for and (b) number of personnel recruited to the (i) full time British Army and (ii) Army Reserves was in each year since 2010.

Dr Andrew Murrison: The first table shows the Basic Training untrained intake for Reserve Officers and Other Ranks by financial year. Table 1. Reserve FR20 Untrained Intake to Phase 1 by Officers / Other Ranks Financial YearTotalOfficersOther Ranks2012/132,650602,6002013/141,270501,2202014/152,8901102,7802015/163,5002003,3002016/173,0201602,8602017/182,3801602,2202018/191,8701201,7502019/202,6801602,5202020/212,2701702,1002021/222,4001102,2902022/231,630901,540Source: Analysis (Army) The second table shows the Basic Training untrained intake actuals and targets for Reserve Other Ranks by financial year. There are no targets for Officers. The actuals in the second column differ from the Other Ranks figures above; this is explained in Notes 4 and 5 below. Table 2. Reserve Group A Other Ranks Untrained Intake to Phase 1 Actuals and Targets Financial YearReserve Group A Other Ranks Untrained Intake TargetReserve Group A Other Ranks Phase 1 Intake Actuals2012/13Not Held2,6002013/141,5501,2202014/152,8002,7802015/165,0003,3002016/176,4802,8502017/184,7602,2102018/192,9101,7402019/202,8002,5002020/212,5002,0702021/222,8202,2502022/232,9501,530Source: Analysis (Army) & Army Recruiting and Initial Training Command (ARITC) For the Regular Army, I refer the Rt Hon. Member to the answer I gave on 8 January 2024 in answer to PQ7264: https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2023-12-18/7264 which shows the Basic Training Starts (BTS) Targets for British Army Other Ranks by financial year. Notes/Caveats: Figures in Table 1 are for FR20 Phase 1 and Reserve Army ‘Group A’ Intake only. The FR20 population consists of ‘Group A’ Army Reserves, some Sponsored Reserves and those personnel serving on FTRS contracts who were previously Army Reservists. ‘Group A’ includes Volunteer Reserves, Mobilised Volunteer Reserves, High Readiness Reserves and OTC support & training staff and Officers under training. Figures supplied in Table 1 are for the FR20 population and will match Accredited Official Statistics as supplied in the Quarterly Service Personnel Statistics Report from 2017/18 onwards. Figures are however for Phase 1 Intake only and may not match figures before this period. Figures in Table 2 are for Reserve ‘Group A’ Other Ranks Phase 1 Intake and include movement between populations in FR20 i.e. Group E to Group A movements etc. Army Reserve ‘Group E’ was introduced during November 2020. ‘Group E’ were previously included in ‘Group A’ and subsequently removed. Intake figures in Table 1 for Financial Year 2020/21 onwards are not directly comparable to previous Financial Years. Figures include Untrained Intake from other Army populations and from other Services. Figures have been rounded to 10 for presentational purposes; numbers ending in "5" have been rounded to the nearest multiple of 20 to prevent systematic bias. Totals and sub-totals have been rounded separately and so may not appear to be the sum of their parts.

Armed Forces: Security

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to ensure security of communications between members of the Armed Forces and their international counterparts.

Dr Andrew Murrison: The Ministry of Defence has a robust information and data classification policy that enables information to be stored, processed and shared securely with our international partners. The policy is regularly reviewed and updated to ensure it remains appropriate to the threats we face and communications are carried out on systems with controls proportionate for the classification level.

Chinook Helicopters: Accidents

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 26 February 2024 to Question 13866 on Chinook Helicopters: Accidents, what personal information is held about third party individuals; and whether those individuals are alive.

Dr Andrew Murrison: The closed records held at The National Archives contain personal information relating to third party individuals involved with the board of inquiry and of the next of kin. It is assumed that all individuals are alive and the early release of this information would breach their data protection rights. This will be reconsidered during the Ministry of Defence’s business as usual activity to renew the Retention Instrument associated with the closed records due to take place in 2029.

Air Force: Training

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many RAF instructors there were in each year since 2019.

Dr Andrew Murrison: The number of Regular Royal Air Force instructors, as at 1 January in each year, is as follows: 201920202021202220232024396843174753521455715641

Veterans: Identity Cards

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 19 February 2024 to Question 13679 on Veterans: Identity Cards, if he will take steps to accelerate the roll-out of veterans’ ID cards.

Dr Andrew Murrison: The HM Armed Forces Veteran Card Scheme has had a two-phase rollout. Phase 1 is complete; all Service leavers since December 2018 automatically receive a Veteran Card from the MOD as part of their Service Leaver Pack.Phase 2 extends access to the Veteran Card to those who left before December 2018. The new digital application and verification service launched at 00:01 on 28 January 2024 allowing pre-2018 veterans to apply for the card.The current delivery contract allows for the production of 50,000 Phase 2 pre-2018 veteran cards per month and are issued within an average of 14 calendar days from date of application receipt. As of 7 March 2024, in the six weeks since launch, there have been a total of 83,730 Phase 2 applications received, and 67,335 cards issued.Demand is determined by the number of veterans who choose to apply and not the overall number of veterans in the UK. Extensive communications have been issued by both the MOD and Office for Veterans' Affairs in relation to the application service.

Department for Education

Teachers: Veterans

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many undergraduate veteran teachers received bursaries in 2023.

Damian Hinds: The £40,000 tax-free undergraduate veteran teaching bursary is available to veterans who have left full-time employment from the British Army, Royal Air Force, or Royal Navy and enrol on an eligible undergraduate initial teacher training (ITT) course. The bursary is paid over the final two years of the course, with £20,000 payable in each year.In the 2022/23 and 2023/24 academic years, five individual trainees received the undergraduate veteran teaching bursary. Figures may be subject to change due to ongoing data collection and assurance.Veterans who have a degree can undertake postgraduate ITT courses, where they can access the bursaries and scholarships of up to £30,000 available on these routes into teaching.

Teachers: Veterans

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 26 February 2024 to Question 13227 on Veterans: Teachers, how many veterans started teacher training programmes and did not become teachers in the last year.

Damian Hinds: The department will review its approach to data capture on veterans as part of the annual planning cycle.

Teachers: Training

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 24 January 2024 to Question 9921 on Teachers: Training, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of trends in the cost of living on teachers in training.

Damian Hinds: The government recognises that cost of living pressures impact trainee teachers but has taken steps to increase the financial support available. All trainee teachers on tuition fee-funded initial teacher training (ITT) routes can apply for a tuition fee loan and a partially means-tested loan for living costs. Additional means-tested student finance is also available depending on individual circumstances, such as the Childcare Grant for students with child dependants.The government has continued to increase maximum loans, grants for living and other costs each year. Maximum support has been increased by 2.8% for the current 2023/24 academic year, with a further 2.5% increase announced for 2024/25. The highest levels of support are targeted at students from the lowest-income families.The department has also frozen maximum tuition fees for the 2023/24 and 2024/25 academic years to deliver better value for students and to keep the cost of higher education under control. By the 2024/25 academic year, maximum fees will have been frozen for 7 years.The department has already made £276 million of student premium and mental health funding available for the 2023/24 academic year to support successful outcomes for students, including disadvantaged students.The department is now making a further £10 million of one-off support available to support student mental health and hardship funding. This funding will complement the help universities are providing through their own bursary, scholarship and hardship support schemes.The department announced an ITT financial incentives package worth up to £196 million for the 2024/25 ITT recruitment cycle, a £15 million increase on the last cycle. This includes bursaries worth up to £28,000 tax-free and scholarships worth up £30,000 tax-free, to encourage talented trainees to key subjects such as mathematics, physics, chemistry and computing.Last year, the department accepted in full the School Teachers’ Review Body’s recommendations for the 2023/24 pay award for teachers and leaders. This included an increase to the unqualified teacher pay range for salaried trainee teachers and a minimum £30,000 starting salary for school teachers in all regions of the country, with a pay award of up to 7.1% for new teachers outside London.

Remote Education

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department issues guidance to schools on ensuring that children who refuse to attend school are (a) set work and (b) provided resources to enable them to continue to learn.

Damian Hinds: Ensuring that children are in school is a top priority for the government. The government’s vision for improving school attendance is for pupils, parents, schools, local authorities, and other partners to work together to prevent patterns of absence from developing. Where patterns of absence exist already, intervention should be early to understand the barriers to attendance so the right support can be provided to overcome them as quickly as possible.The ’Working together to improve school attendance’ guidance is becoming statutory in August 2024. This makes clear that schools are expected to take a ‘support first’ approach and work with pupils and their parents to understand and address the reasons for absence, including any in-school barriers to attendance. More information is available at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1099677/Working_together_to_improve_school_attendance.pdf.There should only be limited circumstances where a pupil is unable to attend school but is able and well enough to continue their education remotely. Remote education should not be considered an equal alternative to school attendance, and providing remote education during a pupil's absence does not reduce the importance of bringing that absence to an end as soon as possible. The department has published non statutory guidance to schools on providing high quality remote education in cases where it is not possible, or contrary to government guidance, for some or all pupils to attend school, available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/providing-remote-education-guidance-for-schools.If a school believes they can no longer support the child’s needs, the local authority should arrange alternative provision. This provision should offer suitable education and targeted support to help the child overcome their barriers to learning, and to reengage back into mainstream schooling. Guidance on education for children with health needs who cannot attend school is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/education-for-children-with-health-needs-who-cannot-attend-school.

Overseas Students: Ukraine

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent steps he has taken to support Ukrainian students in the UK.

Robert Halfon: The department has extended access to higher education (HE) student finance, home fee status and further education 19+ funding to those who are granted leave under one of the three Ukraine Schemes introduced by the Home Office: the Homes for Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme, the Ukraine Family Scheme and the Ukraine Extension Scheme. Following the recent Home Office announcement on the Ukraine Permission Extension Scheme, the department will be amending the student finance regulations for the 2024/25 academic year so that those granted leave under the new scheme can access support on the same basis as persons with leave under one of the existing Ukraine schemes.Access to student support is crucial in enabling Ukrainians to attend education to improve their skills and enhance their ability to contribute to the UK, or to the rebuilding of their home country.The department has also worked closely with the Ukrainian government and UK HE Sector to help facilitate Ukrainian HE entrance exams for students from Ukraine.

Overseas Students

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what progress her Department has made on implementing the aims of the International Education Strategy to (a) increase the value of education exports to £35 billion per year by 2030 and (b) increase the total number of international students choosing to study in the UK higher education system each year to 600,000 by 2030.

Robert Halfon: The department remains committed to progressing the implementation of the International Education Strategy and has published regular updates, most recently in May 2023, which is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/international-education-strategy-2023-update. The strategy sets out progress to date, including total UK revenue from education related exports and transnational education activity, estimated to be £25.6 billion in 2020, and meeting the international student ambition two years running (2020/21 and 2021/22). Since 2010, the estimated UK revenue from education related exports and transnational education activity has risen by 61.2% in current prices.The UK’s International Education Champion, Professor Sir Steve Smith, continues to promote the UK’s education system in key markets, addressing barriers and creating opportunities for education exporters across the sector.